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O'Reilly said to threaten reporter 'with everything I have'

Laura Mandaro
USA TODAY

An earlier version of this story mischaracterized NBC Nightly News' suspension of Brian Williams.

Fox News talk show host and political commentator Bill O'Reilly threatened to retaliate against a reporter "with everything I have" if he felt her coverage of his war-time reporting was inappropriate, the reporter said.

Bill O'Reilly attends the National Geographic Channel's "Killing Kennedy" world premiere screening reception at The Newseum, in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 28, 2013.

In a tweet late Monday, New York Times reporter Emily Steel said O'Reilly told her "I am coming after you with everything I have," and "You can take it as a threat."

Steel linked to a Times article that detailed O'Reilly's efforts to refute claims by the magazine Mother Jones and interviews with former journalists at CBS News that O'Reilly gave an inaccurate portrayal of his reporting experience during the Falkland Islands conflict between Argentina and Britain in 1982 while he worked at CBS News. In contrast to O'Reilly's statements in a 2001 book, he did not report from active war-zones, the Mother Jones and interviews allege.

O'Reilly has defended his account, showing footage of violent protests in Buenos Aires, and interviewing other journalists who were involved in reporting on the conflict. O'Reilly has accused journalists of engaging in a smear campaign following the suspension of NBC anchor Brian Williams over reports he trumped up his own reporting experiences.

A Fox News spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company's CEO, Roger Ailes, has said he fully supports O'Reilly.

Also Monday, CBS News re-released four stories it aired about the Falklands War on June 15 and 16, 1982. O'Reilly has said that he covered riots in Buenos Aires and that he pulled an injured CBS photographer to safety.

In the CBS reports, no mention was made of anyone at CBS being injured. Dan Rather does mention that some TV crew members were shoved and knocked to the ground. And then-CBS News correspondent Eric Engberg, one of O'Reilly's most outspoken critics on the issue, reports that witnesses reported "some serious injuries."

O'Reilly attempted to put he matter to rest on his show, The O'Reilly Factor, on Monday. He showed some of the CBS footage and stood by his previous assertions that the rioting resulted in deaths. "I want to stop this now," he said of the controversy. "I hope we can stop it. I really do."

Contributing: John Bacon

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