Louis Alan "Pete" Williams (born February 28, 1952) is a retired American journalist and former government official. From 1993 to 2022, he was a television correspondent for

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...

. He served in the administration of President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

. Williams was raised in

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in and the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the List of municipalities in Wyoming, second-most populous city in the state after Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cheyenne, with the population at 59,038 as of th ...

where his mother was a realtor and his father was an orthodontist. "Pete" is a nickname he has used since childhood. After he graduated from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, where he had originally studied engineering but subsequently changed to journalism, he began his career in local news with the Casper, Wyoming, television station KTWO and its eponymous radio station in 1974. In 1986, Williams became press secretary for

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American former politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He has been called vice presidency o ...

and followed Cheney to the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

as Cheney became

United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (acronym: SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the United States federal executive departments, executive department of the United States Armed Forces, U.S. Armed Forces, a ...

to be the

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs The Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, or ATSD (PA), is the principal staff advisor and assistant to the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense for public information, internal information, community relatio ...

in 1989 during the

administration. Williams became a correspondent for

in late March 1993, after leaving the Defense Department. His main areas of news coverage for NBC include the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

and

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. He retired from NBC News on July 29, 2022.

Early life and education

Pete Williams was born and raised in

, where his mother, "Bennie," was a teacher and later a realtor, and his father, Louis, was a dentist. He was one of three children. Williams graduated from

Natrona County High School Natrona County High School (NCHS) is a public secondary school (grades 9–12) located in Casper, Wyoming, United States. It serves Natrona County School District #1, which encompasses all of Natrona County, Wyoming. The school remains a rival ...

—coincidentally, the same high school as his fellow Bush administration alumnus

—in 1970. He was a member of his high school's award-winning debating team, and also won an award for public speaking. He was also active in his school's Teenage Republicans club, and a member of the

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized cocurricular student organizations in American high schools, with 1.4 million members. The purpose of the NHS is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to ...

. Williams graduated from

in 1974. While at Stanford, he studied Journalism and History, and spent a year studying in London in a Stanford-sponsored overseas program.

Career

Early journalism career

From 1974 to 1985, Williams was a reporter and news director for the Casper-based KTWO television and KTWO radio stations. Williams also served as director for the Wyoming Future Project from 1985 to 1986.

Press secretary

In 1986, Williams was hired as

press secretary A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage. Dutie ...

and legislative assistant on the staff of U.S. Representative

. Williams was appointed

in 1989, following Cheney's nomination as

and worked as press secretary of the Defense Department. While serving as a

Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon () is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple polygon, simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simple or list of self-intersecting polygons, self-intersecting. A self-intersecting ...

spokesperson, he was accused of allegedly working to cover up the large-scale irregular military activities that had occurred during the US invasion of

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

under the pretense of apprehending Panamanian

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

Manuel Noriega Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno ( , ; February 11, 1934 – May 29, 2017) was a Panamanian dictator and military officer who was the ''de facto'' List of heads of state of Panama, ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989. He never officially serv ...

, which was later featured in the documentary film ''

The Panama Deception ''The Panama Deception'' is a 1992 American documentary film, critical of the 1989 United States invasion of Panama. The film was directed by Barbara Trent, written and edited by David Kasper, and narrated by actress Elizabeth Montgomery. It was ...

'' (1992).

Later journalism career

Williams was

outed Outing is the act of disclosing an LGBTQ person's sexual orientation or gender identity without their consent. It is often done for political reasons, either to instrumentalize homophobia, biphobia, and/or transphobia in order to discredit politi ...

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

in 1991 by journalist and activist

Michelangelo Signorile Michelangelo Signorile (; born December 19, 1960) is an American journalist, author and talk radio host. His radio program is aired each weekday across the United States and Canada on Sirius XM Radio and globally online. Signorile was editor ...

. When pressed by reporters, Cheney refused to dismiss Williams (a civilian employee) despite the department's then-ban on

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

members of the military. Cheney also implied his opposition to the ban.

hired Williams in March 1993 as justice correspondent based in

Washington, D. C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, to cover news from the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equi ...

and the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

. During the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

, Williams initially denied that there was any evidence of

genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

war crime A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...

s, claiming that "we do not see evidence of a program of systematic or massive killing of innocent people". A video clip of the actual statement is featured in the 1997 film ''

Welcome to Sarajevo ''Welcome to Sarajevo'' is a 1997 war drama film directed by Michael Winterbottom, written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and is based on the book '' Natasha's Story'' by Michael Nicholson. The film stars Stephen Dillane, Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tome ...

''. As NBC justice correspondent, Williams has interviewed United States Attorneys General

John Ashcroft John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, Lobbying, lobbyist, and former politician who served as the 79th United States attorney general under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. A Republican Party (United States), R ...

Alberto Gonzales Alberto R. Gonzales (born August 4, 1955) is an American lawyer who served as the 80th United States Attorney General from 2005 to 2007 and was the highest-ranking Hispanic American in executive government in American history until the appoin ...

, and

Eric Holder Eric Himpton Holder Jr. (born January 21, 1951) is an American lawyer who served as the 82nd United States attorney general from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Holder was the first African Ameri ...

, as well as

FBI Director The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a United States federal law enforcement agency, and is responsible for its day-to-day operations. The FBI director is appointed for a ...

Christopher Wray. In covering the

Boston Marathon bombing The Boston Marathon bombing, sometimes referred to as simply the Boston bombing, was an Islamist domestic terrorist attack that took place during the 117th annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarna ...

for

MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...

and NBC News, Williams earned praise from various media analysts for choosing to report events in a restrained, cautionary fashion. In contrast with the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

and

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, Williams refused to report a later-retracted claim that the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

had arrested a suspect for the bombing. For ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

'',

Dylan Byers Dylan Byers is an American journalist. He is a founding partner and senior correspondent at '' Puck'', where he writes a newsletter about media called ''In The Room''. He previously served as the senior media reporter at NBC News, where he author ...

commented: "On a major story that has been defined by inaccurate and conflicting reports and wild speculation, Williams has been calm, diligent and correct." Brian Resnick of the ''

National Journal ''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes ...

'' wrote that Williams showed "restraint in not jumping too far into conclusions." The phrase "NBC's Pete Williams" became a trending topic in the overnight hours of April 19, 2013. In covering the

April 2021 United States Capitol car attack April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Its length is 30 days. April is commonly associated with the season of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the s ...

, Pete Williams claimed the assailant was a "White Man" before any knowledge of the driver was released by authorities. He did not retract his statement. "The question now is, what’s the condition of the Capitol Police officers who were injured when the man -- we’re told it was a White male that was driving the car -- when the man got out of the car and attacked the police officers with a knife," Williams told MSNBC anchor Katy Tur. The assailant turned out to be Noah Green, a mentally ill Black man who was a self-described "follower of ouisFarrakhan". Williams announced his retirement on Friday, July 29, 2022, during the

Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...

Awards

Williams has received three national news Emmy awards. In 2012, the University of Wyoming awarded Williams an honorary Doctor of Letters, in recognition of his many contributions to journalism. He was praised for his "sound judgment, fair mindedness, impeccable ethics, and dedication to service." Williams was named the recipient of the 2018 John F. Hogan Award, presented annually by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA). The Hogan Award, named after the association's first president, is given in recognition of "an individual's contributions to the journalism profession and freedom of the press..." Williams was chosen because "...Over the course of his distinguished career, Pete Williams has served the public first as a government spokesman and then, for the last 25 years, as a reporter covering government,” said Scott Libin, current Chair of RTDNA. "His insight and understanding of power and politics have proven hugely valuable to the viewers of NBC News.""Pete Williams to Receive 2018 John F. Hogan Award for His Contributions to Journalism and Freedom of the Press." Radio Television Digital News Association website, June 5, 2018

References

External links

*
NBC News Bio
*
Pete Williams
interview on

Wyoming PBS Wyoming PBS is the statewide public broadcaster for the U.S. state of Wyoming. A member of PBS, it is owned and operated by Central Wyoming College and originates from its campus in Riverton. Three high-power transmitters—KCWC-DT (channel 4) ...

program ''Wyoming Chronicle'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Pete 1952 births 20th-century American journalists 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American LGBTQ people American legal writers American male journalists American political journalists American radio reporters and correspondents American television reporters and correspondents American television journalists American LGBTQ journalists American gay writers Gay journalists George H. W. Bush administration personnel Journalists from Washington, D.C. Living people MSNBC people NBC News people People from Casper, Wyoming Place of birth missing (living people) Political spokespersons Stanford University alumni United States Assistant Secretaries of Defense United States Department of Defense officials Writers from Wyoming LGBTQ people from Wyoming LGBTQ conservatism in the United States