In a statement shared with Newsweek, CNN confirmed that while Chris Cuomo has not covered the allegations his brother is facing, he has participated in strategy calls with the governor’s staff about how to respond to the claims of sexual misconduct made by several women earlier this year.
According to the statement, the anchor said he would no longer join these discussions in the future.
“Chris has not been involved in CNN’s extensive coverage of the allegations against Gov. Cuomo - on air or behind the scenes. 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,” a CNN spokesperson wrote.
“However, it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governor’s staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward,” they added.
The report from the Post alleged that the news anchor encouraged his brother not to resign from the governor’s office despite growing calls from both Democrats and Republicans to step down. It also suggested that Chris Cuomo advised the governor to use “cancel culture” as a reason to remain defiant against the criticisms.
At least seven women have now come forward with allegations that the governor made inappropriate comments or touched them without their permission.
While he has apologized for making the women “uncomfortable,” Andrew Cuomo has maintained that he did nothing wrong and will refuse to step down as governor, citing the uphill COVID recovery New York faces.
“I’m not going to resign,” he said at a March press conference. “I work for the people of the state of New York. They elected me, and I’m going to serve the people of the state of New York. And by the way, we have a full plate.
He continued, “We have COVID. We have recovery. We have rebuilding. We have a teetering New York City. We have a terrible financial picture. We have to do vaccines. So no, I’m going to do the job the people of the state elected me to do.”
Andrew Cuomo remains under investigation for alleged workplace sexual harassment by the New York attorney general’s office.
When the allegations first surfaced, Chris Cuomo remained silent on the situation before announcing days later that he would not cover the story on his show, Cuomo Prime Time.
“Obviously, I am aware of what is going on with my brother,” Chris Cuomo said on the show in March. “And obviously I cannot cover it because he is my brother. Now, of course CNN has to cover it. They have covered it extensively and they will continue to do so. I have always cared very deeply about these issues, and profoundly so. I just want to tell you that.”
Other CNN anchors, like John King and Jake Tapper, have covered the allegations facing the governor.
Chris Cuomo’s most recent remarks are widely different from the position he took during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, when he regularly interviewed his brother about New York’s response to the virus. Prior to the pandemic, Chris Cuomo had been barred from reporting on stories related to his brother.
