NBC's Brian Williams Admits Stealing Documents from Carter White House!

C-SPAN's Q&A (interview w/Brian Lamb) ^

[Osama Is My DNC Chairman]

LAMB: Somebody out there in the ether told me that you have documents from the Carter transition time as part of your collection.

WILLIAMS: I do.

LAMB: What is that?

WILLIAMS: They were in a desk drawer and I found them. I was assigned a desk in the Old Executive Office Building. This is one of the great quirks of the history of the last 40 years and I know who this is, you’ve been talking to and it makes perfect sense. And I have the original list of potential vice presidents, the original IBM Selectric with corrections, something that’s been in the news of late, the original list of potential vice presidential choices for the new president. I have the kind of, how do we get started memorandum where Carter’s handwriting is visible saying, transfer all calls to Plains. Here’s how to answer the phone. Carter transition office, Governor Carter is not in, but may I take a message?

The president, who was later so famous for his love of and immersion in the minutiae of office, is clearing seen doing the same before he is even in office. And I’m very lucky to have these. I guess it’s squatter’s rights. I will probably hand them over to their rightful owners. I’ll keep only a Xerox and I’ll give the papers to the Carter library. Truth be told, my wife and I live in a converted barn. These were missing for a period of about 10 years during which time I shared the story with no one and was perspiring heavily about it until recently when, in trying to track down a mouse, I moved a wall panel. Lo and behold, they were in the same red manila folder that they were in in the Carter White House

[Osama Is My DNC Chairman]

And I’m very lucky to have these. I guess it’s squatter’s rights. I will probably hand them over to their rightful owners.

Don't you see? Yes, the documents may indeed be trivial, unless you are a presidential historian or the curator of the Carter library.

But Williams admits that he is not one of the "rightful owners" of the document.

Where I come from, if you take something when you know you are not its rightful owner, that is called stealing. And it was a significant enough theft, in Williams' own mind, that by his own admission he was "perspiring heavily" at the prospect of being caught.

[Mo1]

No big scandal. Just a revelation of the man's character.

Yep, this particular case is no big scandal .. I already said it was wrong that he took them .. but he also didn't lie about having the document

If he took more documents then this ... then it's a problem for him

As for Williams character? ... I think most of us know what kind of reporter he is

[Mo1]

I wonder who threw Williams under the bus?

I was wondering that myself

[cyncooper]

Dan Rather was hounded from his anchor's chair for mishandling documents, even though no laws were broken.

"Hounded"?, "Mishandling documents"?

Are you insane?

Earth to OIMDC: Rather aired FAKE documents that were intended to bring down a sitting president.

Go cry about it somewhere discreetly and stop embarrassing yourself in public.

What a disgrace.

[jamaly]

Now, NBC's new anchor has admitted that he STOLE documents from the Carter White House, and held on to them for more than 25 years. Even if he gives them back to the White House, doesn't this act of long-term dishonesty pretty much disqualify him as a serious and ethical journalist worthy of the anchor's chair?

He works for NBC, that already disqualifies him in my opionion.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

Over twenty-five years ago, a college kid, who didn't get paid a plug nickel, takes a few papers from his desk in Old Executive Office Building.

Of course it was stealing, but there are a whole lot of ways people steal that we are not going to prosecute. Padding an expense account or a mileage report a single bit, taking an extra fifteen minutes for lunch, coming home with a highlighter or ballpoint pen and it winds up in your desk drawer. Strolling through FR, when your boss is paying you to put in a full day's work. All of these would be a form of stealing.

Do you want to continue to freak out over something like this? If so, OIMC, your behavior is hysterical. You need heavy medication. Stop and VERY SLOWLY step away from your keyboard.

[festus]

Well cut Mr. Williams some slack. At least he didn't forge them..........

;-)

[OESY]

Preparation for Peace

From the New York Post's Cindy Adams's roundup of famous people's favorite Christmas presents:

In his book Jimmy Carter tells of suffering from hemorrhoids when he visited Egypt. Anwar Sadat had people pray for Carter. He writes: "The day after Christmas all discomfort went away. I've never received a better Christmas gift."

Apparently Lillian neglected to teach her son that when someone asks "How are you?" the proper response is "Fine, thank you."

-- BEST OF THE WEB TODAY, December 28, 2004

[Unicorn]

BTTT