According to CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter, "fear" is setting in at NBC as the executives and journalists there worry over the widening "questions" being raised about Brian Williams. Stelter appeared with Carol Costello, Friday and revealed, "...When I'm speaking to my sources at NBC, I hear more confusion and, frankly, I hear fear in their voices about how this is going to play out because there are even questions about other stories Brian Williams reported in other parts of the world."
Stelter marveled, "This is a crisis for NBC... This is humiliating at this point for Brian Williams and for his colleagues." The CNN journalist went on to explain that an Army pilot who appeared to endorse part of Williams's story has now backtracked. Rich Krell previously stated that the helicopter the anchor was in did take enemy fire (though not a RPG).
Stelter offered:
BRIAN STELTER: ...[The pilot is] questioning his own memories. He says that the nightmares of Iraq have now resurfaced in him and he wants them to go away. Essentially, Carol, he is backtracking.
According to Costello, for Williams, things "just got worse."
The New York Post on Friday published an op-ed by Chris Simeone. Simeone was the captain in command that flew Williams into Iraq. (To be clear, this is a different pilot then Krell.) Direct and blunt, the pilot debunked Williams's story:
Brian Williams began to tell the story, from 2003, that the lead aircraft in our flight had received this ground fire.
This was not true.
Brian Williams then began to give account that the aircraft he was traveling on received this ground fire.
This is not true.
Brian Williams reported on the David Letterman show that the “captain” of his aircraft had received a Purple Heart for a wound to the ear. I was the pilot in command of the aircraft carrying Brian Williams. I do not have a Purple Heart, and my ears are just fine.
The MSNBC video coverage is a blend of Brian Williams riding on my aircraft followed by footage of the parked “Big Windy” aircraft that was shot up long before our arrival.
Brian Williams’ account is not true.
A transcript of the February 6 segment:
10:50
CNN GRAPHIC: Can NBC's Williams Survive Controversy?
CAROL COSTELLO: The controversy continues swirling around Brian Williams following the NBC anchor's admission that he made a mistake when he claimed a helicopter he traveled in while he was in Iraq was forced down by enemy fire. Our senior media correspondent Brian Stelter is in New York to tell us it just got worse. Good morning.
BRIAN STELTER: It really does seem to get worse, Carol. For the first time this morning when I'm speaking to my sources at NBC, I hear more confusion and frankly I hear fear in their voices about how this is going to play out because there are even questions about other stories Brian Williams reported in other parts of the world. There's questions being raised about his reporting about Hurricane Katrina. But I want to pause and tell you about something important that I first shared on yesterday's program. I interviewed a pilot who was in Iraq with Brian Williams, Rich Krell. He's told me he was the pilot on the aircraft that Brian Williams traveled on and that did come under small arms fire but not an RPG strike. So, he was in some ways supporting Brian Williams' account and other ways contradicting Brian Williams' account.
That pilot was there but several other soldiers that came forward last night and said, "Actually, no. Brian Williams was on our aircraft, not Rich Krell's." And this morning, Rich Krell text messaged me and said, now, that he's questioning his own memories. He says that the nightmares of Iraq have now resurfaced in him and he wants them to go away. Essentially, Carol, he is backtracking. I think it's really important to tell viewers that has happened, that he's no longer standing by his story. It's obviously difficult, Carol, because in retrospect I wish I hadn't shared the story at all. We did a lot to check about him. I found a photo of him with Brian Williams. I checked with NBC. All of that. I spelled it out online on CNN.com. But most importantly, his story does not check out. And instead the stories that are checking out, Carol, are the stories of other soldiers who say Brian Williams was never even affected by small arms fire. Basically, this makes the situation worse for Brian Williams because soldiers are coming out of newspaper stories and saying that Brian Williams was nowhere near the scene of this Iraq attack.
COSTELLO: Back to this. His name is Krell? I can't remember his first name.
STELTER: Yeah. Rich Krell.
COSTELLO: So, why would he do that?
STELTER: You know, he heard me talking on CNN yesterday. He heard me talking on New Day about these reports that Brian Williams was an hour away from the site of the RPG attack and he says and he said to me repeatedly yesterday that his memories were very clear that Brian Williams was close to the scene and that the plane did come under fire, but not under that rocket propelled grenade attack. He now says he's questioning his own memories and I wish I had an answer for you about why that has changed. We're keep talking to him and other soldiers as well. Bottom line is though he's revising his story so I want to make sure we revise ours as well.
COSTELLO: Okay, so going back to NBC and the chaos, because we remember what happened with Ann Curry. So, NBC's got that to worry about, right? So, they have to be careful about what they decide to do with Brian Williams, correct? So is that all –
STELTER: This is a crisis for NBC. You're right. You know, look at this morning's New York Post. [Holds up cover.] I have never seen anything like this. This is a network news anchor with a Pinocchio nose on him –
COSTELLO: Awwww.
STELTER: – calling him a nose for news. This is humiliating at this point for Brian Williams and for his colleagues. I can tell you that Tom Brokaw, for example, his predecessor, is furious about what's going on and there's lots of people in rank and file at NBC who also have a lot of questions about the murkiness of Brian Williams' story. The reason why me and other reporters are trying to interview other soldiers and others there is because there is all this lack of clarity about what really happened. Like I said, I'm sensing even a bit of fear at NBC about what to do and how this is going to play out. He has a lot of credibility and he has a wonderful legacy of reporting. But there are serious questions now.
