Liberal View co-host Rosie O'Donnell on Thursday was disgusted by a falsehood repeatedly uttered by Brian Williams. After playing a clip of Williams apologizing for saying that an Army helicopter he was on in 2003 was hit by a RPG missile, O'Donnell unloaded, "So, I don't think he didn't remember that, I think he fabricated that story."
An outraged O'Donnell continued, "It's a blatant lie. It's a Lance Armstrong lie." This comparison prompted shock from her co-hosts. The comedienne lectured, "I think you would know if you were in a helicopter that was actually hit by a missile."
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg pushed back, insisting that this wasn't a "Lance Armstrong lie." She justified, "People forget themselves. They get all wrapped up in their stories and sometimes – you know – what is the word?" O'Donnell quickly interjected, "Lying."
Even for O'Donnell, a 9/11 truther, Williams's weird, false claims were just too much.
A partial transcript of the February 5 segment is below:
11:05
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Now how about this. NBC news anchor Brian Williams is backtracking a bit off a story he's been telling since 2003 in which he recounted as recently as last Friday night on air....
GOLDBERG: Now, after some soldiers who were on that helicopter began to go public saying, "Brian, you actually weren't there like that," here's what he said last night.
[Clip of apology.]
ROSIE O'DONNELL: Ouch. That's like saying -- there's a great documentary called The Woman Who Wasn't There about a woman who pretended to be in the Twin Towers.
GOLDBERG: In 9/11.
O'DONNELL: It's a little bit like, I think you would know if you were in a helicopter that was actually hit by a missile. So, I don't think he didn't remember that, I think he fabricated that story and the apology seemed a little oddly circuitous.
NICOLLE WALLACE: One of the soldiers – I mean, this was really on social media and you guys are talking about the power of social media. The soldiers that were there really brought this to the nation's attention and Brian's. But one of them said what you just said: "Getting hit by RPG fire is not something you, oopsie, get confused over or conflate because it was 12 years ago, dude."
O'DONNELL: Exactly. It's a blatant lie. It's a Lance Armstrong lie. [Everyone says "oooh!"]
GOLDBERG: No, it's not a Lance Armstong lie.
O'DONNELL: I was in a helicopter that was hit by a RPG?
GOLDBERG: Here's how that could happen and I'm just saying – Okay, so now he says when he first told the story he told the story as it happened. Every time he told it again it got more exciting. He was more this, more that. By the time he was finished, he was on the helicopter. I'm sorry –
...
GUEST CO-HOST CRISTELA ALONZO (Star of ABC's Cristela): : How can you trust anything he says. I think that's the plot to Forrest Gump. Was that really you, Brian?
GOLDBERG: People forget themselves. They get all wrapped up in their stories and sometimes – you know – what is the word? Not –
O'DONNELL: Lying.
