Pete Williams, justice correspondent at NBC News, steps down Friday, July 29. Based in Washington, Williams covers the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, and the Supreme Court. He joined NBC News in 1993.
Stories Williams has covered include the Unabomber investigation, the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995, the Olympic bombing of 1996, the Clinton impeachment proceedings, the federal government's investigative response to the 9/11 terror attacks, the legal battles over the Obama administration's healthcare law, the January 6 insurrection and abortion rights in America.
Raised in Wyoming, Williams arrived in Washington in 1986 to join the staff of Congressman Dick Cheney of Wyoming as a legislative assistant and press secretary. In 1989, when Cheney was named defense secretary, Williams was appointed assistant secretary of defense for public affairs and was Pentagon spokesman during the Persian Gulf War and military operations in Panama and Somalia.
He was a reporter and news director in radio prior to his arrival in Washington.
Williams was toasted at an event in Washington July 26. Lester Holt, anchor of NBC Nightly News, said, “Anyone who has done live breaking television knows that scary moment of being out there, you’ve got two lines about a breaking story, you’re being told to keep it going, keep it going,” he said. “And there was nothing better than when you would hear in your ear, ‘Pete’s getting wired up’ or “Pete is in the chair.’”
Williams addressed the gathering. “I think any of you who've ever worked for any other news organizations know that there is something special about this place,” he said. “Because we are collaborative, we do care about each other, we help each other, we're all united in our common cause.” ■
