More than 60 women praise Tom Brokaw's decency and integrity after former reporter claims she was groped

by Charlie Smith on April 28th, 2018 at 7:49 AM

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When previous high-profile broadcasters Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer were accused of repeated sexual misconduct, they quickly lost their jobs and disappeared from the public eye.

But there's a very different story unfolding in the case of former NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw, who's been accused of groping by a former network reporter.

More than 60 women, including MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell, have signed a letter describing him as "a man of "tremendous decency and character". Another signatory is Maria Shriver.

"We are current and former colleagues of Tom’s, who have worked with him over a period spanning four decades," the letter states. "We are producers, correspondents, anchors, directors, executives, researchers, personal assistants, editors and technical staff.

"Tom has treated each of us with fairness and respect. He has given each of us opportunities for advancement and championed our successes throughout our careers."

Meanwhile, Brokaw has claimed in a letter to colleagues that his accuser, former reporter Linda Vester, has "unleashed a torrent of unsubstantiated criticism and attacks on me more than 20 years after I opened the door for her and a new job at Fox News".

He's also alleged that she's a "character assassin" who holds a grudge against the network that employed him.

Tom Brokaw (seen with Jane Pauley) anchored the Today Show from 1976 to 1981.

NBC

Vester, on the other hand, told the Washington Post that NBC has "not hired outside counsel to investigate a genuine, long-standing problem of sexual misconduct in the newsroom".

She also told Variety that she was standing near a door in Denver when Brokaw came up from behind and started tickling her.

Vester has also alleged that he tried to forcibly kiss her, which Brokaw has vehemently denied.

https://twitter.com/Variety/status/989927165155201024

Brokaw was hired by NBC News in 1966.

He's the only broadcaster in the network's history to have anchored three of its longest running programs: Meet the Press, the Today Show, and the NBC Nightly News.