CNN suspends Chris Cuomo indefinitely

CNN said on Tuesday it had “indefinitely” suspended Chris Cuomo after documents released this week indicated the anchor was more intimately involved than previously known in helping his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, to prepare their defense amid a wave of allegations of sexual misconduct and violence.

“The New York Attorney General’s Office released transcripts and exhibits on Monday that shed new light on Chris Cuomo’s involvement in his brother’s defense,” said a spokesman for the CNN on Tuesday night. “The documents, which we were not aware of prior to their public release, raise serious questions.”

“When Chris admitted that he had advised his brother’s team, he broke our rules and we publicly acknowledged that,” continued the spokesperson. “But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and work second.”

“However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in your brother’s efforts than we previously knew,” the spokesman added. “As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely pending further evaluation.”

Anderson Cooper will anchor at 9 pm, the CNN spokesperson said.

The suspension came after significant criticism from people who noted that Chris Cuomo had violated widely accepted journalistic norms. On CNN, officials expressed dismay at the anchor’s conduct.

The documents released by New York Attorney General Letitia James included text messages and transcripts of interviews with investigators who led the investigation into allegations against the governor.

The roster of documents included text messages between Chris Cuomo and Melissa DeRosa, a senior adviser to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, which suggested he was instrumental in building a defense against a barrage of allegations of sexual misconduct.

The text messages also revealed that Chris Cuomo sought to use his press connections to help prepare the then-governor’s team as the accusers began to publicize the allegations.

Chris Cuomo also acknowledged to investigators that he tried to find out more about a report by journalist Ronan Farrow. The anchor defended the practice as conventional.

“The idea of ​​one reporter calling another to find out what’s going on down the pipe is completely normal,” he said.

When Andrew Cuomo resigned as governor in August, Chris Cuomo told CNN viewers that he was “not an advisor” but “a brother”. He acknowledged that he spoke with his brother’s advisers and gave his “opinion” until CNN told him to stop doing so in May.

The “Cuomo Prime Time” anchor also said on the air in August: “I never attacked or encouraged anyone to attack any woman who came forward. I never made calls to the press about my brother’s situation.”

Monday’s revelations cast some doubt on his statement about his interactions with the press.

“I – when asked, I would contact other sources, other journalists, to see if they had heard of anyone else,” Chris Cuomo said during the testimony.

Chris Cuomo also said under oath what he had already told CNN viewers earlier this year: that he “never influenced or tried to control CNN’s coverage of my family.”

During interrogation, he reiterated that sentiment, saying, “If I had tried to influence any of the reporting on CNN or anywhere else, I guarantee people would know, and so will many others.”

In its May statement, CNN said: “Chris was not involved in CNN’s extensive coverage of the allegations against Governor Cuomo – on air or behind the scenes.”

The network statement added: “Partly because, as he 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 team, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in these conversations in the future.”

At the time, the anchor also took advantage of the program to say that he is “family first and work second” and apologized for having helped his brother.

“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 situation,” he said. “I never intended to do this, never intended to do this and I’m sorry about that.”

While a report on allegations of sexual misconduct against Andrew Cuomo was released in August, James’ office is continuing a separate investigation into allegations that he misused state resources to develop, produce and promote a book that wrote about the pandemic.

Rich Azzopardi, Andrew Cuomo’s spokesman, called the latest release of transcripts, documents and videos a “manipulated release.”

“New Yorkers are no fools, and the obvious misuse of government resources by James and his colleagues to harm political opponents is as obvious and disgusting as it is unethical and illegal,” Azzopardi said in a statement.

*Sonia Moghe of CNN contributed to this report

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