NBC leaked details of Brian Williams lying to shame him into resigning

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Former face of Nightly News was suspended for lying about Iraq report
Details from investigative team memo to NBC CEO revealed that he is thought to have lied about his experiences at least eleven times
Include seemingly overblown claims about reporting on the Arab Spring
Info leaked to press this weekend thought to be effort to pressure him out
Media insiders say he would receive between $20million and $30million

By Kieran Corcoran and Christopher Brennan For Dailymail.com

Published: 20:55 EST, 26 April 2015 | Updated: 04:22 EST, 27 April 2015

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Leaks from the investigation into shamed newsman Brian Williams were given to the press to pressure him into resignation, a report claims.

News broke this weekend that the committee investigating the NBC star found he lied in his reporting to make himself look good at least 11 times.

The leaked information, along a report that Williams lied during an interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, is designed to make the disgraced anchor negotiate an exit from his network, according to media executives.

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Leaked: Media executives who spoke to POLITICO say that information given to the press from the NBC investigation into anchor Brian Williams (above) was designed to make the broadcaster resign

Iraq shame: Williams fell from grace after veterans called him out after he lied about being on board a US military chopper which was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, but miraculously managed to land

Investigative journalists at the network have been poring over Williams's past reports and statements after he was booted from the top job in TV news, hunting down signs of dishonesty.

Williams was publicly suspended with no pay for six months after it emerged that he repeatedly told a self-aggrandizing, false story about being aboard a military helicopter hit by an RPG over Iraq.

The anchor has up to a $50million contract and POLITICO claims that he is being pressured to resign. The site reported that he could receive up to $30million in an exit agreement with NBC.

'You’re dead. Now negotiate,' one media executive told the website.

Williams signed a deal with the network last year to continue at the network thought to be worth $10million a year, and he is thought to be looking at a minimum of $20million if he leaves.

The eleven incidents cited in media reports about the secretive investigation would mean the trail of deceit from the fallen face of NBC's Nightly News goes far deeper than previously reported.

Further scrutiny of Williams's record turned up other questionable claims, including dodging rocket fire over Israel and seeing a body floating through the French Quarter of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

Even more such claims have been turned up now, according to reports by CNN and the Washington Post.

Both cite a briefing given to NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke on Thursday in New York City at which top executives were updated on the investigation into their flagship news anchor's reporting.

Egyptian experience: The latest specific Williams tall tale to emerge dates to 2011 in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Williams said he stared into the eyes of mounted regime soldiers during a violent protest

Tall tales: Information leaked from an NBC investigation points to 11 incidents where Williams lied about his reporting. Above, the anchor appears on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart (right)

CNN said 10 claims had been found, while the Post said the figure was 11.

An earlier report in the New York Times identified a particular incident, dating back to Williams' coverage of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.

NBC investigators honed in on a February 2011 Daily Show appearance where Williams boasted that he had looked into the eyes of mounted Egyptian soldiers in Cairo's Tahrir Square, and seen armed men beat protesters.

From his conversation with host Jon Stewart, Williams implies he was in the thick of the chaotic pro-democracy movement down on the ground.

However, the Times said, NBC news broadcasts from the time only show that he was on a balcony overlooking the square from a safe distance during violent stretches.

Close to the wind: Another questionable Williams claim comes from Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah. Williams said rockets flew 'just underneath' a helicopter he was on when they seem to have gone nowhere near it

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

Williams is currently halfway through his six-month suspension from his roles as anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News.

He was replaced by Lester Holt, who has kept ratings relatively steady. It is unclear whether NBC will put Williams back in the top slot when the suspension ends, or look for a way to get rid of him.

Williams has reportedly been banned from speaking publicly about the investigation, or defending himself against any new claims.

Industry analysts have said the NBC report is likely to prove significant as the network wrangles over what to ultimately do with Williams, whose contract kept him anchoring the Nightly News through 2019.

The findings could play a part in any legal discussions, it was suggested, with NBC gaining leverage over its employee by either agreeing to keep it under wraps or threatening to go public.

A decision about Williams's fate is still 'weeks away' according to CNN.