NBC’s Megyn Kelly on Monday warned the throng of her female colleagues who are defending veteran TV anchor Tom Brokaw against sexual harassment allegations that “you don’t know what you don’t know.”
Kelly made the remarks on her morning talk show, “Megyn Kelly Today,” after NBC News’ national correspondent Kate Snow brought up on the show how nearly 100 past and present network colleagues — including MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski — have signed a letter supporting Brokaw in the wake of the allegations.
“It’s basically a character reference,” Kelly said. “And they’re saying, ‘For what it’s worth, my experience with him has always been honorable, and he’s always treated me well.’ And I understand that because when you love the person being under attack, you want to say, ‘This has been my experience.’”
Kelly, a former Fox News anchor, then cited her experience with late Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, whom she has accused of sexual harassment.
“I will say that the same thing did happen at Fox,” Kelly said, referring to how there were those who defended Ailes, who resigned from his post in July 2016 amid a sexual harassment probe.
“And the truth is, you don’t know what you don’t know. And that’s not in any way to impugn Tom, who I love and who’s been so good to me. Just saying, you don’t know what you don’t know,” said Kelly.
Kelly continued, “What happens behind closed doors … we saw it at Fox News. We saw these women come out [in support] and I remember thinking, ‘You’re wrong. It happened to me, your statements are wrong and you’re gonna be proven wrong.’”
However, Kelly did note, “I don’t feel that here … I love Tom,” as she added, “I think [support] letters like that can be dicey.”
Brokaw, 78, was accused by ex-NBC reporter Linda Vester of trying to forcefully kiss her on at least two occasions in the 1990s while she worked at the network, Variety reported last week.
“I’m standing there, and Tom Brokaw enters through the door and grabs me from behind and proceeds to tickle me up and down my waist,” she says in a video interview.
A second woman told the Washington Post that Brokaw, who retired in 2004, acted inappropriately toward her when she was a young production assistant.
Brokaw has vehemently denied the allegations.
“I was ambushed and then perp-walked across the pages of The Washington Post and Variety as an avatar of male misogyny, taken to the guillotine and stripped of any honor and achievement I had earned in more than a half-century of journalism and citizenship,” Brokaw wrote in an email to former colleagues.
While speaking on her show Monday, Kelly also took a jab at Hillary Clinton.
“Back during the presidential race, Hillary Clinton came out and said, ‘I believe every accuser should be believed’ … except those accusing her husband,” said Kelly.
Source: Read Full Article
