After the glowing coverage of his gov brother early in the pandemic, Fredo Chris Cuomo hid behind CNN last year when his brother was being inundated with sex and nursing home scandals. But it turns out, while he was hiding, he was participating in strategy calls with his brother on how he should respond to the sex scandals. And his advice? Be defiant, resist ‘cancel culture’ and do not resign:
NEW: CNN anchor Chris Cuomo took part in a series of strategy calls with his brother and his brother's staff on how the governor should respond to misconduct allegations. Network says he shouldn't have participated and won't going forward. w/@sarahellison: https://t.co/knktC4eOpX
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) May 20, 2021
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, and senior members of the governor’s staff on how to respond to sexual harassment allegations made earlier this year by women who had worked with the governor, according to four people familiar with the discussions.
Cuomo, one of the network’s top stars, joined a series of conference calls that included the Democratic governor’s top aide, his communications team, lawyers and a number of outside advisers, according to the people familiar with the conversations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private sessions.
The calls occurred earlier this year, when a growing number of claims that Andrew Cuomo made inappropriate comments or touched women without their permission had escalated into a political crisis for the three-term governor.
The cable news anchor encouraged his brother to take a defiant position and not to resign from the governor’s office, the people said. At one point, he used the phrase “cancel culture” as a reason to hold firm in the face of the allegations, two people present on one call said.
CNN claims this was inappropriate and never should have happened, but they aren’t going to discipline him for it. Just a slap on the wrist for little Fredo, as if nothing happened:
The behind-the-scenes strategy offered by Chris Cuomo, who anchors CNN’s 9 p.m. nightly newscast, cuts against the widely accepted norm in journalism that those reporting the news should not be involved in politics.
“If you are actively advising a politician in trouble while being an on-air host on a news network, that’s not okay,” said Nicholas Lemann, a professor at Columbia Journalism School and a New Yorker staff writer.
In a statement, CNN acknowledged that Chris Cuomo took part in the strategy sessions, saying his involvement was a mistake.
“Chris has not been involved in CNN’s extensive coverage of the allegations against Governor Cuomo — on air or behind the scenes,” the network said in a statement. “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,” the statement added. “He will not participate in such conversations going forward.”
The network said Cuomo will not be disciplined.
It’s bad enough that he participated in these discussions with this brother. But his advice was horrific. This had nothing to do with cancel culture and everything to do with the elder Cuomo failing to reign in his libido and inappropriately harassing women who worked for him.
This is the same self-righteous Chris Cuomo who often attacks Republicans under similar scandals and passes judgement on them. And CNN isn’t doing anything about it. This is another reason why CNN is garbage.