More Thank 60 Women At NBC Sign Letter Defending Tom Brokaw

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Women At NBC Defend Tom Brokaw Amidst Harassment Allegations

Only one day after NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw was accused of sexual harassment by two women, more than 60 other women who either have previously or currently work for NBC News have signed a letter in defense of Brokaw’s “tremendous decency and integrity.”

Among these women are news anchors Andrea Mitchell, Rachel Maddow, Maria Shriver and Mika Brzezinski, who tweeted out to add her to the list after seeing headlines.

Former news correspondent Linda Vester accused Brokaw of attempting to force himself on her in the ’90s, when she was 28. A production assistant came out with similar accusations toward the storied anchor, with a story that also allegedly happened during the ’90s.

Brokaw himself denies the charges and wrote an email to the New York Times, where he said he “may have leaned over for a perfunctory good night kiss” and “I should not have gone [to the hotel room] but I emphatically did not verbally and physically attack her and suggest an affair in language right out of pulp fiction.” He also explained his feelings on the whole situation, explaining that he is “angry, hurt, and unmoored from what I thought would be the final passage of my life and career.”

You can read the letter from over 60 of Brokaw’s former and current female colleagues below:

Subject: Letter on Tom Brokaw

As professional women, we fully endorse the conversation around abuse of power in the workplace. In the context of that conversation, we would like to share our perspectives on working with Tom Brokaw.

We are current and former colleagues of Tom’s, who have worked with him over a period spanning four decades. 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. As we have advanced across industries — news, publishing, law, business and government — Tom has been a valued source of counsel and support. We know him to be a man of tremendous decency and integrity.