NEW YORK (RNN) – NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams announced Saturday afternoon he has decided to remove himself from the broadcast.
The longtime anchor came under fire this week when his account of an attack on a military helicopter convoy he was with in Iraq came into question.
NBC Universal released a memo from Williams, who is also managing editor of the nightly news broadcast, that said he was removing himself from his spot “for the next several days.” He plans to return, and reporter Lester Holt will assume anchor duty in the interim.
“In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news due to my actions,” the statement said.
Williams had claimed during at least one televised interview that while covering the war in Iraq in 2003 he was on a helicopter that took fire from an RPG and was forced to the ground.
READ MORE: 19ActionNews.com
Article Courtesy of WOIO 19 Action News
Picture Courtesy of Getty Images