NBCUniversal says it won’t launch new Matt Lauer inquiry despite new reporting – Fox News
NBCUniversal announced that it would not revisit its investigation into disgraced former NBC News anchor Matt Lauer despite new reporting by Pulitzer-winning journalist Ronan Farrow and growing calls for an independent probe.
“There is no additional investigation being conducted. We are very confident in the report that was conducted,” an NBCUniversal spokeswoman told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday.
Megyn Kelly blasted her former employer’s recent decision after calling for an “outside investigator” to look into allegations made against Lauer and NBC News.
“CBS, FOX, NPR, NFL – all hired outside investigators. NBC again refuses to do so … as it claims it has ‘nothing to hide.’ RELEASE ALL LAUER ACCUSERS FROM THEIR NON-DISCLOSURES,” tweeted Kelly, who also previously worked for Fox News.
NBC UNDER RENEWED PRESSURE TO INVESTIGATE SEX MISCONDUCT CLAIMS, CLEAN UP NEWS DIVISION
NBC did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
In her first televised interview since leaving NBC last year, Kelly returned to Fox and called on NBC News to allow an external investigator to look into the alleged misconduct detailed by Farrow in a new book, “Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators.”
“What Ronan is suggesting is that they covered up for one sexual predator, Harvey Weinstein, in order to protect another, Matt Lauer. They deny all of this,” Kelly told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. “And NBC has put out several statements saying that Ronan is a conspiracy theorist, and this is all nonsense and he’s got an ax to grind.”
“But if that’s true and there’s nothing to hide, then get an outside investigator,” she added.
The former “Today” host went on to ask if NBC News had “put dollars ahead of decency” and if the news organization had been “more interested in protecting their star anchor than they were in protecting the women of the company.”
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Former NBC News correspondent Linda Vester also spoke out, saying the network was “not honest” about its own investigation.
“NBC was not honest when it conducted its own internal investigation of sexual misconduct. … We don’t have the truth yet. It seems that the coverup continues at NBC News,” Vester told Fox News’ Shannon Bream. “Everybody knew, we all knew Matt [Lauer] was dangerous. He had to be avoided at all costs.”
Last year, NBCUniversal released its findings of an internal investigation into various misconduct allegations against Lauer.
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“We found no evidence indicating that any NBC News or ‘Today Show’ leadership, News HR or others in positions of authority in the news division received any complaints about Lauer’s workplace behavior prior to Nov. 27, 2017,” the report concluded.
Farrow’s reporting cast doubt on that, even suggesting that NBC News killed his story about sex abuse claims surrounding powerful Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein story to protect Lauer, whose secrets Weinstein threatened to expose.
Fox News’ Brian Flood and Victor Garcia contributed to this report.
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