Report: CNN’s Chris Cuomo advised brother on sex harassment claims
NEW YORK — CNN said Thursday it was “inappropriate” for anchor Chris Cuomo to have been involved in phone calls with the staff of his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, where strategies on how the governor should respond to sexual harassment allegations were allegedly discussed.
The network was responding to a story in The Washington Post that said Chris Cuomo had joined a series of conference calls with aides and advisers.
The host of CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time” encouraged his brother to take a defiant position and not resign, the Post said, quoting two people present on one of the calls that the newspaper did not identify.
CNN said in a statement that Chris Cuomo has not been involved in the network’s coverage of the allegations, either on the air or behind the scenes, because he could not be objective and often serves as a “sounding board” for his older brother.
“However, it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the governor’s staff, which Chris acknowledges,” the network said. “He will not participate in such conversations going forward.”
The network did not announce any disciplinary action against its show host.
On his show Thursday, Chris Cuomo said being involved in the calls was “a mistake.”
“I put my colleagues here [at CNN], who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot,” the anchor said at the top of his show. “I never intended for that, I would never intend for that, and I am sorry for that.”
The New York Democrat is facing allegations that he abused his power by inappropriately touching and sexually harassing women who worked with him or met him elsewhere.
Cuomo has apologized for making anyone feel uncomfortable, but said he never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate advances. The state attorney general is investigating. A majority of state Democratic lawmakers have called on Cuomo to resign.
The Post story said that at one point, Chris Cuomo used the phrase “cancel culture” as a reason to hold firm.