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CNN has suspended Chris Cuomo, one of its primetime anchors “indefinitely, pending further evaluation,” over communications with his brother and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
According to the CBS, documents released in Andrew’s Cuomo’s sexual harassment investigation that led to his resignation show text messages between Chris Cuomo and his brother’s top aide, in which the CNN anchor asked to play a larger role in the response to the allegations surrounding his brother.
In a statement the cable news network said the documents “shed new light on Chris Cuomo’s involvement in his brother’s defense” and “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. But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second,” the statement said. “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 messages between Chris Cuomo and his brother’s top aide Melissa DeRosa show him asking to help with his brother’s response to the allegations, which the former governor denies to this day, despite overwhelming evidence from New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“Please let me help with the prep,” Cuomo texted DeRosa on March 3, after sending her notes on one of the governor’s previous press statements.
Day later, DeRosa asked the anchor to check in on several articles that had not yet been published.
“Rumor going around from politico 1-2 more ppl coming out tomorrow,” DeRosa texted Chris Cuomo on March 7. “Can u check your sources.”
It’s unknown how long Cuomo will be forced to sit on the sidelines, but according to a CNN article on Cuomo’s suspension, it could last weeks.
Cuomo himself didn’t comment on his suspension Tuesday night, but did on his radio show Wednesday morning.
“It hurts to even say it. It’s embarrassing,” he said on his SiriusXM show. “But I understand it.” Cuomo added he never wanted to “compromise any of my colleagues” and he will refrain from talking about the issue further.
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