Disgraced former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly has spoken out about the sexual harassment allegations he faces, claiming he's the victim of "a hit job".
In April, the presenter departed the ,edia outlet after the disclosure of multiple settlements involving sexual harassment claims made against him. His sacking ended a 20-year reign as one of the most popular and influential commentators on US television.
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However, he's since appeared on former competitor NBC's Today programme to refute the allegations, telling host Matt Lauer that he had never harassed another employee in his entire career.
"There were a lot of different business things in play at that time, but there isn't any smoking gun," he said of the decision to drop him from the high-paid broadcasting role.
"Forty-two years I've been in this business - I've worked for 12 companies. Not one time did I have any interaction with human resources or have any complaints filed against me.
"My conscience is clear."
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O'Reilly says while he did not deserve to be ousted from the organisation, he understood why Fox News took the action given the pressure they were under.
"There was a sponsored boycott engineered by Media Matters... and it unsettled some people at Fox News," he explained.
"The collateral damage of these lawsuits and the press frenzy - every allegation is a conviction."
He said he was now in the process of organising his legal team to fight the allegations and "give the truth to the American people".
"If you look at the totality, this is a hit job - a political and financial hit job," he said.
"Nobody's a perfect person, but I can go to sleep at night very well, knowing I never mistreated anyone on my watch in 42 years."
Newshub.
