“I thought she was spot on,” he says Tuesday of Robach’s recorded comments. “I think that she had the story. She and Jim Hill, the field producer, did a fabulous job. I don’t want them tarred by anything that ABC failed to do. They did a great job. … Our client, Virginia, had a lot of confidence in them, and still does. She likes them, she trusts them, and she has respect for them.”

In a statement, ABC explained the network’s decision to not broadcast the interview this way: “At the time, not all of our reporting met our standards to air, but we have never stopped investigating the story.”

Pottinger says, “We had been told by industry insiders that ABC had a reputation for getting cold feet on matters like this, but we didn’t worry about it, because Amy and Jim Hill were so good. They did great B-roll, they did a great interview. … So, we were delighted with what went into the can. We just are sorry that it never came out.”