The suspension comes as a flood of Republicans have withdrawn
their support for Trump over the video that emerged on Friday
showing the businessman, then a reality TV star, talking with
Bush on an open microphone about groping women and trying to
seduce a married woman.
In the recorded conversation, Trump was chatting on a bus with
Bush, then host of NBC's "Access Hollywood," ahead of a segment
they were about to tape.
Bush said in a statement to Variety on Friday he was
"embarrassed and ashamed" of his comments.
NBC said Bush had been suspended indefinitely from the "Today"
show, where he hosts the third hour of programming.
Noah Oppenheim, the executive in charge of the morning show,
wrote in a memo to staff that "there is simply no excuse for
Billy's language and behavior on that tape."
Oppenheim said: "NBC has decided to suspend Billy, pending
further review of this matter."
The controversy has pitched Trump, 70, into the biggest crisis
of his campaign and deepened fissures between him and
establishment Republicans just a month ahead of the Nov. 8
presidential election.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle and Steve Holland;
Editing by Peter Cooney)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|