Juan Williams Exclusive: NPR's Firing 'Vindictive,' 'Antagonistic,' 'Vicious'

Oct. 22, 2010— -- Juan Williams was fired from his job at NPR as the result of a personal and politically motivated vendetta which the veteran newsman described as "vindictive," he told "Good Morning America" in an exclusive interview today.

Williams, fired for saying Muslims on planes make him "nervous," pointed to a flip comment by NPR CEO Vivian Schiller who said Williams' comment should have been shared with his "psychiatrist or publicist," and not the public

"It's personal. I don't know why she has to get low," Williams told "GMA."

Schiller later apologized for her crack, and Williams said he does not have a psychiatrist.

"She has an argument to make that I somehow violated journalistic ethics or values of NPR. Make the case. I think it's a very weak case," Williams told "GMA."

"NPR and especially this last group of managers became vindictive," said Williams who has worked at the network for 10 years. "As you can see, personal in terms of their antagonism toward me."

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Williams made his comment about being nervous when he sees Muslims at airports or on planes was made Monday on Fox News' "O'Reilly Factor."

NPR said the comment conflicted with their commitment to unbiased reporting. But Williams, who is paid to give his opinion, told GMA he had long been in the cross-hairs of NPR management who are upset that he also worked for right-leaning Fox News.

"This is one of the things in my life that's shocking. I grew up on the left. I grew up here in New York City and I've always thought the right wing was the ones who were inflexible and intolerant. Now, I'm coming to realize that the orthodoxy at NPR, as it's representing the left, is just unbelievable," he said.

"And especially for me as a black man, to somehow, you know, say something that's out of the box. They find it very difficult... I think they were looking for a reason to get rid of me. They were uncomfortable with the idea that I was talking to the likes of Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity," he told GMA's George Stephanopoulos.

"I knew about their antagonism towards Fox. And I knew that they really didn't like it, and as I said I have been there more than 10 years and I have seen managers come and go and who dealt with this issue. This current crew was really getting vicious," Williams said.