CNN has suspended anchor Chris Cuomo indefinitely after details surfaced he helped his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was brought up on sexual harassment charges earlier this year..CNN made the shockwave announcement after documents released Monday revealed Cuomo was more “intimately involved” in building his brother’s defence, according to reports from CNN..“The New York Attorney General’s office released transcripts and exhibits Monday that shed new light on Chris Cuomo’s involvement in his brother’s defence,” a CNN spokesperson said Tuesday evening..“The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions..“When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother’s staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly,” the spokesperson continued..“But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second.”.“However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew. As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation.”.The seasoned anchor was a main draw for CNN with Cuomo’s 9 p.m. show drawing huge viewership, often the network’s most-watched program..Earlier this year, two former aides of ex-governor Cuomo came forward with accusations of sexual harassment in the workplace..As a result, Andrew Cuomo resigned as governor of New York three months ago while allegations of sexual misconduct were mounting..Tuesday’s show was filled with an additional hour of Anderson Cooper 360 and Wednesday’s 9 p.m. slot will air a town hall about COVID-19. The network has not said what they will do for the time slot moving forward..New York Attorney General Letitia James released documents Monday that contained text messages between Chris Cuomo and then-top aide to Governor Cuomo, Melissa De Rosa, that suggested the anchor was using his connections to help build his brother’s defence against the sexual misconduct allegations..Chris Cuomo admitted during testimony he had contacted other journalists to “see if they had heard of anybody else coming out.”.A spokesperson for Andrew Cuomo said the release of the documents was a “misuse of government resources to damage political opponents” and called it “unethical and illegal.”.Network insiders had been critical of CNN’s Cuomo and his conduct in the wake of his brother’s scandal..In May, CNN put out a statement that said, “Chris has not been involved in CNN’s extensive coverage of the allegations against Governor Cuomo on-air or behind the scenes. In part because, as he has said on his show, he could never be objective. But also because he often serves as a sounding board for his brother..“However, it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the governor’s staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward.”.At the time, the anchor also made a public apology during his show admitting his family comes first and apologized for how he helped his brother..“It will not happen again. It was a mistake, because I put my colleagues here, who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot,” he said. “I never intended for that, I would never intend for that and I am sorry for that.”.The anchor declined to comment on CNN’s decision to suspend him..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
CNN has suspended anchor Chris Cuomo indefinitely after details surfaced he helped his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was brought up on sexual harassment charges earlier this year..CNN made the shockwave announcement after documents released Monday revealed Cuomo was more “intimately involved” in building his brother’s defence, according to reports from CNN..“The New York Attorney General’s office released transcripts and exhibits Monday that shed new light on Chris Cuomo’s involvement in his brother’s defence,” a CNN spokesperson said Tuesday evening..“The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions..“When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother’s staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly,” the spokesperson continued..“But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second.”.“However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew. As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation.”.The seasoned anchor was a main draw for CNN with Cuomo’s 9 p.m. show drawing huge viewership, often the network’s most-watched program..Earlier this year, two former aides of ex-governor Cuomo came forward with accusations of sexual harassment in the workplace..As a result, Andrew Cuomo resigned as governor of New York three months ago while allegations of sexual misconduct were mounting..Tuesday’s show was filled with an additional hour of Anderson Cooper 360 and Wednesday’s 9 p.m. slot will air a town hall about COVID-19. The network has not said what they will do for the time slot moving forward..New York Attorney General Letitia James released documents Monday that contained text messages between Chris Cuomo and then-top aide to Governor Cuomo, Melissa De Rosa, that suggested the anchor was using his connections to help build his brother’s defence against the sexual misconduct allegations..Chris Cuomo admitted during testimony he had contacted other journalists to “see if they had heard of anybody else coming out.”.A spokesperson for Andrew Cuomo said the release of the documents was a “misuse of government resources to damage political opponents” and called it “unethical and illegal.”.Network insiders had been critical of CNN’s Cuomo and his conduct in the wake of his brother’s scandal..In May, CNN put out a statement that said, “Chris has not been involved in CNN’s extensive coverage of the allegations against Governor Cuomo on-air or behind the scenes. In part because, as he has said on his show, he could never be objective. But also because he often serves as a sounding board for his brother..“However, it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the governor’s staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward.”.At the time, the anchor also made a public apology during his show admitting his family comes first and apologized for how he helped his brother..“It will not happen again. It was a mistake, because I put my colleagues here, who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot,” he said. “I never intended for that, I would never intend for that and I am sorry for that.”.The anchor declined to comment on CNN’s decision to suspend him..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
