Brokaw Pushes Back On Allegations: They Were Like A ‘Drive By Shooting’

at Harvard University on November 18, 2014 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
CAMBRIDGE, MA - NOVEMBER 18: Tom Brokaw, Special Correspondent for NBC News, speaks at "Witnessing the Fall of the Berlin Wall: A Conversation with Tom Brokaw" at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Gov... CAMBRIDGE, MA - NOVEMBER 18: Tom Brokaw, Special Correspondent for NBC News, speaks at "Witnessing the Fall of the Berlin Wall: A Conversation with Tom Brokaw" at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Institute of Politics on November 18, 2014 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Longtime NBC News journalist Tom Brokaw is rebutting allegations that he sexually harassed and tried to forcibly kiss a former colleague in the 1990s. He sent a lengthy letter to his former colleagues aggressively denying the accusations.

According to the letter obtained by the Los Angeles Times and The Hollywood Reporter, Brokaw characterized the allegations as a “drive by shooting” on the part of Linda Vester, the former NBC correspondent who recently detailed her accusations to the Washington Post and Variety. He claimed Vester had a grudge against NBC News because she “failed in her pursuit of stardom” and called out the Post and Variety for being given “the run” by Vester.

I am not a perfect person. I’ve made mistakes, personally and professionally. But as I write this at dawn on the morning after a drive by shooting by Vester, the Washington Post and Variety, I am stunned by the free ride given a woman with a grudge against NBC News, no distinctive credentials or issue passions while at Fox,” he wrote. “Strip away all of the hyperbole and what has she achieved? What was her goal? Hard to believe it wasn’t much more Look At Me than Me: Too.”

Vester detailed to the Washington Post and Variety allegations that Brokaw sexually harassed her and attempted to forcibly kiss her at least two times in the 1990s. Brokaw has denied the allegations and attempted to counter each of her claims in the letter he sent to NBC colleagues.

As I remember, she was at one end of a sofa, I was at the other,” he wrote. “It was late and I had been up for 24 hours. As I got up to leave I may have leaned over for a perfunctory goodnight kiss but my memory is that it happened at the door – on the cheek. No clenching her neck. That move she so vividly describes is NOT WHO I AM. Not in high school, college or thereafter.”

A Catholic university has already replaced Brokaw as its commencement speaker, after Brokaw backed out when the allegations surfaced. Vester told the Post she came forward because she felt NBC failed to properly investigate harassment claims at the company after “Today” show star Matt Lauer was fired for sexual misconduct and alleged assault.

Read the full letter here. 

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Notable Replies

  1. Character assassination by failed journalist and full-time witchy person. In this case, Brokaw, the victim here, tried and failed to kiss someone on 2 occasions. For the bitchy witches, there is no question - the only solution is BURN HIM FOR BEING A MISOGYNISTIC PERSON.

    On the other hand, this could be viewed as #metoooverthetop. #metoobacklash is coming.

    This is bullshit character assassination.

  2. Dear Tom,

    Your privilege is showing. Please reserve the term “drive-by shooting” for actual drive-by shootings.

    regards, newrobotoverlord

  3. Avatar for eglot eglot says:

    “As I got up to leave I may have leaned over for a perfunctory goodnight kiss but my memory is that it happened at the door”

    That’s where you lost me, Tom. Perfunctory? As in you expected her to kiss you back?

  4. I think the “me too” movement died with the Al Franken debacle. Women like this who make unsubstantiated allegations about something that might have happened 25 years ago are just kicking the corpse of this already dead movement. There’s no way Brokaw can prove he didn’t do any of this, and that’s what makes this a witch hunt.

  5. Another guilty until proven innocent.
    Al Franken should still be a Senator and it’s going to take #MEPissedoff a long time to get over it

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