Pete Williams covered the US Supreme Court and the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security for NBC News for 29 years. He is the recipient of four national news Emmy awards, two Edward R. Murrow awards, and the John F. Hogan award from the Radio Television Digital News Association. He is now a member of the board of directors of WyoFile, a non-profit news organization in Wyoming. Prior to joining NBC News, Williams was an aide in the US Senate and House of Representatives. In 1986 he joined the staff of then-Congressman Dick Cheney as press secretary and legislative assistant. In 1989, when Cheney became Secretary of Defense, Williams was confirmed by the Senate as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.
A native of Casper, Wyoming, and a 1974 graduate of Stanford University, Williams was a reporter and news director at KTWO-TV and Radio in Casper from 1974 to 1985. He successfully lobbied the Wyoming Supreme Court to permit broadcast coverage of its proceedings and twice sued Wyoming judges over pre-trial exclusion of reporters from the courtroom. For these efforts, he received a First Amendment Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.