Former CBS anchor Dan Rather is defending NBC anchor Brian Williams from criticism related to Williams' recanting an account he repeatedly gave of being in a helicopter that was forced down after taking enemy fire over Iraq.
Rather, whose own reporting on fake documents impugning George W. Bush's service in the Air National Guard developed into the scandal known as Rathergate and cost him his anchor seat, said he was standing behind Williams. He praised the NBC anchor profusely while speaking with Politico's Dylan Byers.
Brian Williams is "an honest, decent man, an excellent reporter and anchor--and a brave one," veteran newsman Dan Rather told Politico on Thursday.
Though Rather admits he doesn't know what happened to Williams in Iraq, he said he could attest to Williams' credibility.
"I don't know the particulars about that day in Iraq," Rather told Politico. "I do know Brian. He's a longtime friend and we have been in a number of war zones and on the same battlefields, competing but together. Brian is an honest, decent man, an excellent reporter and anchor--and a brave one. I can attest that--like his predecessor Tom Brokaw--he is a superb pro, and a gutsy one."