Chuck Todd: ‘Proud’ of How NBC Handled Brian Williams, ‘This Is Something MSNBC Needs’

Brian Williams is returning to the NBC News family, but not in the same position he was before. The former NBC Nightly News anchor will head breaking news coverage at MSNBC, while Lester Holt has been officially chosen as the permanent nightly news anchor.

Williams spoke out today in his first interview since being suspended, and NBC’s own Chuck Todd reacted in a radio interview today with SiriusXM and CNN host Michael Smerconish.

Todd said he’s “proud” of how NBC handled the situation, after reports of Williams embellishing many stories, and said, “I also am glad to work for a company that provides an opportunity to earn back trust and earn back a second chance.”

The Meet the Press moderator credited Williams for how open and forthcoming he was in talking about his ego issues and made this interesting remark when Smerconish asked what this says about MSNBC:

“This is something that MSNBC needs — a strong person who can sort of deftly handle covering a live event as it’s unfolding. This is something MSNBC needs, this is something that Brian is very good at, let’s see if he can earn back the credibility and trust with the viewers to make this marriage work.”

Listen to the audio below, via The Michael Smerconish Program:

And you can watch part of Williams’ big interview here, via NBC:

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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