Q&A: NBC News Correspondent Pete Williams reflects on working with Dick Cheney

A controversial and polarizing figure Dick Cheney s death on Tuesday at has led to numerous reactions around the political sphere Cheney transformed the role of vice president during George W Bush s presidency taking a greater emphasis on influence and advocacy and shaping administration s guidelines on terrorism presidential powers and conservative politics He was the force behind the U S involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan But more than just a figure that Bush once described as the Darth Vader of the administration Cheney had a nuanced background WTOP s Michelle Basch and John Domen spoke to NBC News Justice Correspondent Pete Williams who was Cheney s press secretary and legislative assistant in Congress and knew Cheney well Read and listen to the interview below toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Michelle Basch and John Domen speak with NBC News correspondent Pete Williams on the legacy of former vice president Dick Cheney function ' wtop-audio-container fa-play' on 'click' function var audio filename 'div wtop-audio-file' details mp -url if typeof gtag function gtag 'event' 'post audio' 'play' audio filename 'permalink' window location href The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity Source