Questions continue to rise about the credibility of Brian Williams following his admission that he was not under fire in a war zone 12 years ago. INSIDE EDITION has the story.
The Brian Williams scandal is growing.
On Wednesday he admitted, “I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago.”
Now, legendary NBC anchor Tom Brokaw is denying reports that he wants the man who replaced him to be fired.
"Brokaw wants Williams head on a platter,” an NBC source told the New York Post. "He is making a lot of noise at NBC that a lesser journalist or producer would have been immediately fired or suspended for a false report."
The story was confirmed by CNN.
Brian Stelter said on CNN, "I can confirm that is definitely true, I have been hearing that as well."
But Brokaw says in an email to The Huffington Post: "I have neither demanded nor suggested Brian be fired. His future is up to Brian and NBC News executives."
In his on-air admission, Brian Williams said, “I want to apologize. I said I was traveling in an aircraft that was hit by RPG fire. I was instead in a following aircraft.”
Williams is on the hot seat after his stunning admission that he was not on board a U.S. Army helicopter forced down by enemy fire during the 2003 Iraq war after years of saying he was.
INSIDE EDITION is now hearing from Joe Summerlin, the navigator on board the helicopter that was hit by a rocket propelled grenade.
INSIDE EDITION’s Diane McInerney asked, “Do you accept his apology?”
Summerlin replied, “He didn't apologize, so, there is nothing to accept. I just want to make it perfectly clear that his aircraft was not shot down or forced down or hit by any kind of RPG.”
A photo shows Summerlin and the helicopter crew right after they were forced down in the Iraq desert. He says Williams was in another helicopter that arrived more than half an hour later.
Summerlin then mentioned his first memory of Brian Williams, "I saw him get off the aircraft and he combed his hair."
And now there's more trouble for Williams as his coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 comes under scrutiny.
In his report, he said, "When you look out your hotel room at the French Quarter, and watch a man float by face down."
Some are questioning those words because the French Quarter of New Orleans was largely spared the worst of the storm.
"Who's Buyin' Lyin' Brian?" said the headline on The Huffington Post.
He's being ridiculed unmercilessly in online memes showing him delivering the 10 Commandments and mocking him reporting on the surface of the moon.
Conan O’Brian joked, "Brian Williams has admitted he embellished a story that he was in a helicopter that was shot at in Iraq. Williams says the helicopter part was true but it was a coin operated helicopter outside a Chuck-E-Cheese."
But former CBS anchor Dan Rather is coming to Williams’ defense in a statement: "Brian is an honest, decent man, an excellent reporter and anchor and a brave one."
Williams didn't speak about the scandal on Thursday night's broadcast but The New York Times called him "a little subdued" as the scandal swirls around him.
Joe Summerlin told INSIDE EDITION, “Finally this guy is going to get called out on his lying."
