Brokaw’s Off-Air Remark About Rather Taped

During an unguarded moment picked up on a satellite feed, NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw said CBS’ Dan Rather often reported false stories fed to him by the Nixon White House.

Brokaw, who has since said the remark may not be true, made the aside during a rehearsal at the Republican convention in San Diego on Aug. 13 when someone said Rather was reporting Colin Powell would be in a Dole cabinet.

“Rummy,” Brokaw said, referring to Donald Rumsfeld, the former White House official who now is chairman of Bob Dole’s campaign. “Rummy used to get even with guys in the White House by leaking stuff to Rather that didn’t have any basis in fact.”

He added that in the past, Rather was “factually wrong a lot of the time because he was Rummy’s vessel.”

The rehearsal was intercepted and taped - illegally, according to NBC by Jed Rosenzweig, producer of the New York cable program “Wild Feed TV,” which specializes in catching broadcasters in unguarded moments.

NBC said it has sent two letters to Rosenzweig warning him that it would be illegal for him to broadcast the tape.

Brokaw’s office confirmed Wednesday that the remarks, appearing in two local newspapers, were reported accurately.

Brokaw said he regrets having made what he now calls a “reckless” comment. He said he was new in Washington at the time and Rather was beating NBC on the Watergate story.