MSNBC’s Brian Williams is coming under criticism from conservatives for saying that headline writers may compare Attorney General William Barr Bill BarrHarris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle Hillicon Valley: DOJ proposes tech liability shield reform to Congress | Treasury sanctions individuals, groups tied to Russian malign influence activities | House Republican introduces bill to set standards for self-driving cars McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE to “Baghdad Bob," the former press secretary to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein during the U.S.-Iraq war.

Williams made the reference to Iraqi press secretary Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf not long after the end of Barr's press conference on Thursday ahead of the release of special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE's report.

"It's already been mentioned around here, it would harken back to a conflict decades ago," Williams said on Thursday in reference to the Iraq War that began in 2003. "We would not be surprised if some headline writer somewhere came up somewhere with 'Baghdad Bill Barr' for what we saw today."

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Conservatives ripped into Williams for the remark, with some mentioning his six-month suspension in February 2015 after he embellished several stories he covered during the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina.

Well Known Liar Brian Williams Smears AG Barr as ‘Baghdad Bill’ https://t.co/mfdD1Wc5IL pic.twitter.com/idsnIQ6Dal — Scott Whitlock (@ScottJW) April 18, 2019

@guypbenson on @foxnewsnight: I'm still trying to get over @BWilliams going the Baghdad Bill Barr route my given why he's no longer hosting the @NBCNightlyNews pic.twitter.com/Jgao0HGUFG — Sean Langille (@SeanLangille) April 19, 2019