NBC News feted Pete Williams with a send off at Cosmos Club in Washington as the longtime Supreme Court and Justice Department correspondent prepares to retire at the end of the month.
Williams, who has been with the network for almost 30 years, plans to file his final report on Friday.
NBC News’ Lester Holt, Andrea Mitchell and Washington Bureau Chief Ken Strickland hosted the event, with attendees including Attorney General Merrick Garland (whose interview with Holt aired on Tuesday evening), Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY). Jazz pianist Konrad Paszkudzki, a friend of Williams, played jazz standards as well as John Williams’ The Mission, the theme for Meet the Press and NBC Nightly News.
Per a network rep, Holt told the 100 or so journalists, lawmakers and Biden administration officials at the Tuesday event, “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. 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 said, “It’s been such a privilege and a pleasure to work with these great people at NBC News, who care about the work and care about each other. And that’s just such an unusual combination.”
Others at the event included Janelle Rodriguez, Yamiche Alcindor, Peter Alexander, Peter Baker, Sam Feist, Tammy Haddad, Neal Katyal, Michael LaRosa, Matt Miller, Jeremy Peters, Steven Portnoy, Meghan Rafferty, Chuck Rosenberg and Kristen Welker. Strickland also held a champagne toast for Williams earlier in the day at the networks Washington, D.C. bureau.
