But he stays. What does that tell you about the management and views!

Brian Williams finally admits he lied

Lyin’ Brian Williams has finally admitted, “I said things that weren’t true … I let down my NBC colleagues.”

The embattled anchor made the apology Thursday as NBC announced he is being replaced as the anchor of “Nightly News” by Lester Holt following an exhaustive internal probe into his tall tales.

Williams, who will now serve as a breaking news anchor for MSNBC, said in a statement issued by NBC, “I’m sorry. I said things that weren’t true. I let down my NBC colleagues and our viewers, and I’m determined to earn back their trust.

“I will greatly miss working with the team on Nightly News, but I know the broadcast will be in excellent hands with Lester Holt as anchor. I will support him 100% as he has always supported me.

“I am grateful for the chance to return to covering the news. My new role will allow me to focus on important issues and events in our country and around the world, and I look forward to it.”

NBC confirmed for the first time today that the internal investigation into Williams revealed further untruths. He was suspended in February when it was revealed that he had greatly exaggerated a story about a 2003 mission in Iraq.

The investigation into Williams was led by NBCUniversal general counsel Kim Harris, who had previously served as deputy White House counsel and as senior counsel at the US Department of Justice. It was conducted by former New York Post reporter Richard Esposito, who leads the investigative unit at NBC News.

NBC said in a statement about the investigation, “The extensive review found that Williams made a number of inaccurate statements about his own role and experiences covering events in the field. The statements in question did not for the most part occur on NBC News platforms or in the immediate aftermath of the news events, but rather on late-night programs and during public appearances, usually years after the news events in question.”

Other Williams untruths and exaggerations are believed to have included a claim that he saw bodies floating in New Orleans’ French Quarter following Hurricane Katrina, and during a report following the earthquake in Haiti.

At the time of his suspension in February, Williams had made a weaker apology when he claimed he had “misremembered” the events of the 2003 Iraq mission, in which he said the helicopter he was traveling in came under fire. He had blamed the false story on the “fog of memory” that had built up over the years.