Pete Williams

Pete Williams covered the US Supreme Court and the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security for NBC News as a Washington-based correspondent for 29 years.  Among the stories he covered were the Oklahoma City, Olympic Park, and Boston Marathon bombings as well as the federal government’s massive investigation following the 9/11 terror hijackings.

He is the recipient of three national news Emmy awards as well as two Edward R. Murrow Awards and the John F. Hogan Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association.

Prior to joining NBC News, Williams worked in both the Senate and House. In 1986 he joined the staff of then-Congressman Dick Cheney as press secretary and a legislative assistant. In 1989, when Cheney became Secretary of Defense, Williams was confirmed by the Senate as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. While in that position, he was named Government Communicator of the Year by the National Association of Government Communicators.

A native of Casper, Wyoming and a 1974 graduate of Stanford University, Williams was a reporter and news director at KTWO-TV and Radio in Casper from 1974 to 1985.  He successfully lobbied the Wyoming Supreme Court to permit broadcast coverage of its proceedings and twice sued  judges over pre-trial exclusion of reporters from the courtroom. For these efforts, he received a First Amendment Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.