Hall defends ‘Lochte-gate’

TAMRON Hall has defended her “Today” colleagues Al Roker and Billy Bush concerning the Ryan Lochte debacle. Bush got the initial interview with the buff-but-not-bright swimmer that set off “Lochte-gate.” The tall story, and the lack of scepticism about Lochte’s account, infuriated Roker, who ranted on live TV, “He lied to you, he lied to Matt Lauer, he lied to his mom.” But on Monday, arriving at the US Open in Flushing Meadows, Hall said only Lochte was to blame, “You know, he’s paying his pound of flesh. Listen, Al Roker is one of the most sensible people you’ll ever meet. He’s raised two daughters and a son. And I love him, in that as jovial as he is, he’s a straight shooter. He’s a New Yorker, as they say.” Defending Bush’s original interview, she told Page Six, “I thought it was fantastic. He didn’t go to the beach knowing he’d stumble into that interview. He was just saying, ‘What’s up?’ . . . And then it turned into, ‘Oh, by the way, this happened to me.’ And he shot it with an iPhone.” Lochte later blamed booze for the fake robbery claim. Hall sympathizes, “I won’t name names. [But] I have interviewed people who perhaps didn’t plan it well and maybe were inebriated.”