Tom Brokaw Accuser: His ‘Spitefulness Took Me Aback’

Linda Vester, the former NBC and Fox News anchor who accused journalist Tom Brokaw of sexual harassment, penned an op-ed in The Washington Post Wednesday, responding to Brokaw’s denials. Vester said she expected Brokaw to deny her claims but “his vehemence and spitefulness took me aback. He denied the truth and instead attacked my career and my motives. Shaming and blaming a victim has long been the effective strategy when women speak out,” she wrote. Vester also said she “didn’t expect” so many “prominent” women at NBC to sign a letter of support for Brokaw. “NBC also required its own journalists to mention the petition of support concurrently with reports on the harassment story,” Vester wrote. “There is nothing wrong with standing up for a friend or a co-worker. But NBC News’ actions had the effect of communicating to other victims that they wouldn’t be believed and would be better off staying silent.” Vester also said she’d like to see an “outside investigator” probe harassment and the “coverup” of sexual harassment at the network.