NBC's Brian Williams Accuses Fox News of 'Jingoism' for Criticizing U.S. Olympic Uniforms

In a nasty rant at the end of Thursday's Rock Center on NBC, Nightly News anchor Brian Williams slammed the hosts of FNC's morning show for daring to criticize the uniforms for the U.S. Olympic team: "Trouble on Fox & Friends. It started when the morning show crew mocked the new Ralph Lauren outfits...." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

After playing a clip of Gretchen Carlson being critical of berets being part of the uniform, Williams sneered: "The jingoism continued. Another host wondered why they couldn't wear something more American, like baseball caps or cowboy hats. Until the viewer e-mails started pouring in, reminding them some real Americans, U.S. soldiers, are issued berets."

Williams was apparently so upset that anyone would say a bad word about the Olympics – which just last year NBC paid $4.38 billion to gain the broadcast rights to until 2020 – that he even went so far as to lash out at Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday's Nightly News.

Reid declared that "the Olympic Committee should be ashamed of themselves" and should "take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile, and burn them" after the revelation that they were made in China. Following that sound bite, Williams remarked: "Are there better things for the Senate to worry about, like legislation?"

NBC's Today on Tuesday brought on Ralph Lauren's David Lauren to unveil the new uniforms and even gave co-host Savannah Guthrie, news reader Natalie Morales, and weatherman Al Roker each a Team USA beret to wear. None of the supposed journalists were enterprising enough to notice the uniform labels that clearly read "made in China."

Here is a transcript of Williams's July 12 anti-Fox outburst:

10:56PM ET

(...)

BRIAN WILLIAMS: Trouble on Fox & Friends. It started when the morning show crew mocked the new Ralph Lauren outfits for the U.S. Olympic team in London.

GRETCHEN CARLSON: I mean, is this the new American trend now?

CLAYTON MORRIS: Wearing a beret?

CARLSON: Are we going to be seeing berets? And you have to pronounce it that way too, because that's the French way.

WILLIAMS: The jingoism continued. Another host wondered why they couldn't wear something more American, like baseball caps or cowboy hats. Until the viewer e-mails started pouring in, reminding them some real Americans, U.S. soldiers, are issued berets. Pronounced the French way. The uniforms came under more fire today when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was asked about the fact that they are made in China.

HARRY REID: I think they should take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile, and burn them and start all over again.

(...)