The expense account inquiry is the final nail in the coffin. When the network accountants start digging through his charges on the NBC credit card, you know they’re looking for something that can be used to support his dismissal—and avoid any settlement on the remainder of his contract.
As David Burge (IowaHawk) observed on his Twitter account: “$19.95 hotel porn bill about to save NBC $50 million on severance pay” https://twitter.com/iowahawkblog
I’ve seen this tactic used in both the military and the private sector. When a senior official is in trouble (and the organization wants to get rid of them), start digging through the credit card receipts. If someone will lie about other events (say, you exploits as a war correspondent), it’s a fair bet you will misuse the company card.
How ironic; when Williams was on top, he probably had an unlimited expense account, and no one at NBC cared if he used it to buy lunch every day at the priciest eatery in New York, or rented a battalion of hookers during his most recent overseas reporting gig. But now that he’s in trouble, every charge is fair game.
Later this spring, Williams will be summoned for an “off-site” meeting with NBC management, led by Steve Burke. He will be presented the results of the lie inquiry and the credit card investigation. Mr. Williams will be reminded that misuse of his expense account is grounds for immediate termination. At that point, he will be given the option of resigning (and if he’s lucky, with a very modest settlement on his contract).
If he balks, NBC will threaten to disclose all that was uncovered during the inquiry, jeopardizing Williams’s prospects of future employment in the media. Where it goes from there will be up to Williams and his attorneys, but if NBC is already in a solid legal position.
It’s also worth noting that the decisions about Williams are now being made by Steve Burke, the Comcast exec who also runs NBC. Deborah Turness, the president of NBC News, was given a chance to take control of the situation, but she dithered. Burke decided to suspend Williams for six months—not Turness, and you can bet he’s the same guy who has the accounting department looking through years of credit card receipts.
I’ve been out of broadcasting for a long time, but still have a few friends in the business. The industry is run—now more than ever—by a bunch of cut-throats, and the Comcast crew is at the top of the list. When something or someone becomes a major liability, they start looking for ways to cut their losses, and quickly.
A claim of credit card abuse goes two ways. Williams would have a legal right in any lawsuit to examine the expense reports of his superiors and other employees.
The talk of an investigation into any potentia creditcard abuse is simply a negotiation tactic; and nothing more.
Wouldn’t surprise me if companies with highly paid rockstar employees deliberately allow them to misuse their expense accounts simply to ensure an easy termination if needed.