Unlike the near silence from NBC and most of MSNBC, Morning Joe's hosts actually covered the Brian Williams scandal. Despite the six month suspension for the Nightly News anchor, Joe Scarborough and Willie Geist on Wednesday aren't sure that the journalist will ever return to his old job.
Scarborough cited the close relationship with NBC Universal CEO Steve Burke and gossiped, "...Many people inside this building were speculating that Brian would actually get through this a bit better than he did because of his close relationship with Steve Burke." He added, "But six months without pay leaves a lot of people in this building to ask whether Brian will ever come back."
Willie Geist said that the six month suspension is appropriate, but noted the sadness that Williams's career has been "taken away from him for six months and possibly forever."
In a separate discussion, the Morning Joe crew appeared shocked by the response. Scarborough chided, "I have never seen on Twitter, online, such a gleeful, gleeful display of just sheer hatred and snarkiness and snideness in my 20 years in public life."
A partial transcript of the February 11 segment is below:
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: This past weekend, Brian Williams gave himself a self-imposed suspension from NBC Nightly News, following criticisms and questions after an on-air apology where he made a mistake recalling the events surrounding the experiences covering the Iraqi War in 2003. Well, today that suspension is no longer self imposed. NBC News decided yesterday to suspend Williams as managing editor of the anchor of the Nightly News for six months without pay. The suspension is effective immediately.
...
BRZEZINSKI: The six-month suspension follows the debunking of his story of riding in a helicopter hit with RPG fire, exposed to fiction by the pilots who actually were on the damaged aircraft. It was a story he repeated several times, including during the appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman in 2013.
...
JOE SCARBOROUGH: What is so interesting for people that read Steve Burke's comments, they are very, very tough comments. Yet, Steve Burke has a very good relationship with Brian Williams, likes Brian Williams very much personally. They are close and, at the beginning, many people inside this building were speculating that Brian would actually get through this a bit better than he did because of his close relationship with Steve Burke. Steve Burke puts the company first and puts the reputation of the news division first. But six months without pay leaves a lot of people in this building to ask whether Brian will ever come back.
...
WILLIE GEIST: He [Williams] would sit there and watch Walter Cronkite and say "I want to be that guy when I grow up." He reached those heights. He achieved those things. Now it's taken away from him for six months and possibly forever. So, while it's appropriate professionally, there's certainly a sadness to it personally for Brian.
SCARBOROUGH: Regardless of he does it inside this building or outside the building, this is the ent of one chapter in Brian Williams' career. Another will be coming up.
