CNN suspended Chris Cuomo on Tuesday night after recently released documents from Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into his brother and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed that the star anchor was using his industry news sources to get an overview of reports of sexual harassment allegations.
The TV news channel’s communications arm issued a statement saying the AG’s second round of documents released on Monday as part of her office’s blockbuster investigation raised “serious questions” about the host of the best-rated show “Cuomo Prime Time”. ”
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 defense. The documents, which we were not aware of before their release, raise serious questions, “the CNN statement read.
James’ office released several documents on Monday, including text and email exchanges between Chris Cuomo and the former governor’s aides, where he offered advice several times and eavesdropped on his industry contacts to get updates on forthcoming articles on the former governor’s many allegations of sexual offense.
Chris Cuomo previously admitted to helping his brother and apologized, but CNN’s statement went on to say that the new crowd of documents showed a much deeper involvement in the former governor’s defense strategy than they had previously been aware of.
“When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother’s staff, he broke our rules and we publicly acknowledged it. But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put the family first and the job second, ”the statement continued. “But these documents point to a greater degree of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we apparently knew. As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely pending further evaluation. “
The move came just hours after Chris Cuomo went on a rampage during his SiriusXM radio show, blaming his brother’s downfall on politicians and the media instead of his alleged offense against 11 women.
The plot went against his own previous commitment to avoid covering the former governor’s scandal, telling CNN that “he could never be objective.”
