Brian Williams finally suspended without pay as NBC News president slams 'wrong and completely inappropriate' lies that 'jeopardized' network's credibility

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Deborah Turness told NBC staff about suspension Tuesday evening
Said his puffed-up retellings of time in Iraq were 'completely inappropriate'
NBC Universal CEO Steve Burke said Williams had network's trust
Williams had already removed himself from nightly anchor duties
Lester Holt will continue to fill the anchor's chair during suspension

Published: 20:04 EST, 10 February 2015 | Updated: 22:27 EST, 10 February 2015

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Beleaguered NBC anchor Brian Williams has finally been suspended without pay amid a firestorm of criticism over false claims he was inside a helicopter that was gunned down over Iraq.

Williams, anchor and Managing Editor of the flagship Nightly News show, had been under fire for 11 days after being called out on the overblown story by indignant veterans of the 2003 invasion.

Bosses at the network finally acted after deciding Williams's own decision to remove himself from anchoring for 'several days' was not enough.

Suspended: Brian Williams's pay has been stopped for six months during the suspension. The decision was announced by the British president of NBC News, Deborah Turness, right, who has overseen a string of high-profile departures

Boots on the ground: Williams, pictured above covering Iraq, was pulled up by veterans on an overblown story of being aboard a helicopter hit by an RPG - which it emerged he was not on at all

In a note sent to NBC staff, Deborah Turness, the president of NBC's news division, described his puffed-up retellings of events from 2003 as 'wrong and completely inappropriate'.

In the mean time Lester Holt, who has already covered two broadcasts for Williams, will sit in the Nightly News anchor's chair.

The scandal began on January 30, when Williams repeated an often-told anecdote about being on board a Chinook helicopter during the 2003 Iraq invasion.

He said that he was on board a chopper which got hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and was forced to land. In fact, he was on a completely different helicopter.

After being called out on the tall tale by veterans who objected to his glory-grabbing, Williams issued an on-air apology - and said he had been in a 'following' helicopter.

This detail too came under scrutiny, and it emerged his chopper had been part of a different mission and was around half an hour behind.

Stand-in: Lester Holt, right, will fill the Nightly News anchor's chair while Williams is away

Dead body? Another Williams anecdote - of seeing a dead body float down a street in New Orleans's French Quarter during Hurricane Katrina, was also called into question

In danger? Williams also gave a contentious account of his time covering Israel's war with Hezbollah - once claiming there was rocket fire 'just underneath' the helicopter (above) he was riding in - a detail that was notably absent from his reporting at the time

DEBORAH TURNESS: BRITISH NEWS BOSS WHO'S SWUNG THE AXE BEFORE

Tough calls: Turness has been behind high-profile sackings at NBC

Deborah Turness, the Brit flown over to rescue NBC's news operation in 2013, has form when it comes to cutting high-profile newsmen loose.

After arriving to a ratings slide at several major shows, Turness was uncompromising in cutting out figures that some saw as staid and unexciting.

David Gregory, the longtime moderate on the Meet the Press political show, was sacked last August after Turness after extensively wrangling over the show's format and guests, according to the Daily Beast.

Gregory was reportedly picking up his kids from summer camp when CNN broke the news that he was being replaced - which NBC then had to rush to confirm.

That sacking came not long after the network got rid of Jamie Horowitz - a former ESPN executive whom Turness employed for a total of just ten weeks.

Horowitz reportedly made so many enemies in his task of reforming the Today show that it became impossible to keep him on. In a memo to NBC staffers, Turness said: 'he and I have come to the conclusion that this is not the right fit.'

Whether Brian Williams will ultimately be faced with the same conclusion remains to be seen.

His plight worsened after other grand, personal stories - from Hurricane Katrina, Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah, and even a childhood tale of being mugged - were also called into question.

In her note, Turness wrote: 'We have decided today to suspend Brian Williams as Managing Editor and Anchor of NBC Nightly News for six months.

'The suspension will be without pay and is effective immediately.'

'While on Nightly News on Friday, January 30, 2015, Brian misrepresented events which occurred while he was covering the Iraq War in 2003.

'It then became clear that on other occasions Brian had done the same while telling that story in other venues. This was wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in Brian’s position.

'In addition, we have concerns about comments that occurred outside NBC News while Brian was talking about his experiences in the field.

Brian Williams: 'I looked down the tube of an RPG in Iraq'

Brian Williams apologizes for inaccurate Iraq war story

Steve Burke, the CEO of NBC Universal, also spoke out in the message. He said: 'By his actions, Brian has jeopardized the trust millions of Americans place in NBC News.

'His actions are inexcusable and this suspension is severe and appropriate.'

However, he implied that Williams would eventually come back from the suspension, saying he is 'committed' to regaining his tattered credibility.

Burke said: 'He deserves a second chance and we are rooting for him. Brian has shared his deep remorse with me and he is committed to winning back everyone’s trust.

FACT OR FICTION? THE STORIES OF BRIAN WILLIAMS THAT HAVE CAUSED MANY TO QUESTION HIS CREDIBILITY

Currently off the air after he admitted to lying about being hit by enemy fire in Iraq, a number of Williams' other seemingly outlandish claims are currently coming under increased scrutiny

Red Bank, New Jersey, 1970s

In a 2011 interview, Brian Williams recalled his time as a teenage volunteer firefighter during which he saved a puppy. However in a 2005 Esquire interview, Williams had claimed to save not one but two puppies.

In the same Esquire interview Williams also revealed that he had been mugged at gunpoint while selling Christmas trees in the sleepy New Jersey town in which he grew up.

A number of locals have questioned the credibility of his claim that someone ‘stuck a .38-caliber in my face'.

Iraq War, 2003

Over the years Williams has told multiple versions of a story about being in an Army Chinook helicopter during the Iraq War in 2003.

Last month he claimed his helicopter was hit by ground fire, an allegation he was later forced to admit was false after an outcry from soldiers who were present.

Williams issued an on-air apology and wrote on Facebook: 'Nobody's trying to steal anyone's valor.'

Hurricane Katrina, 2005

Williams has told several stories about his experiences reporting from New Orleans.

He has claimed to have seen a dead body float past the window of his hotel in the city's French Quarter – even though the area wasn't flooded.

The accuracy of other Katrina claims, including that he caught dysentery drinking the flood waters and that his hotel was ‘overrun’ with gangs, have been called into question by others who were on the ground during the disaster.

Israel, 2006

In a 2007 interview with Fairfield University Student Television, Williams recalled 'Katyusha rockets passing just underneath the helicopter I was riding in' during a trip to Israel.

In fact he was nowhere near enemy fire and in a broadcast segment filmed that day he described rocket fire 'six miles away'.

Boston, 2006

A Navy vet accused Williams of lying to skip an event honoring members of the Armed Forces so that he could appear on Saturday Night Live.

On the day of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society event the NBC News anchor told organizers that a 'pressing engagement' meant he wouldn't be able speak at the dinner, but later that evening he appeared in a walk-on role on SNL's Weekend Update.