CNN suspends Chris Cuomo indefinitely over role in brother’s response to sexual-misconduct allegations

The network said records released this week ‘raise serious questions’ about prime-time anchor Chris Cuomo’s conduct.

Chris Cuomo is one of CNN’s biggest stars. Picture: AFP

CNN suspended prime-time anchor Chris Cuomo indefinitely after records released this week by the New York attorney general’s office provided a detailed look into his efforts to help his brother, former New York Govern Andrew Cuomo, respond to allegations of sexual misconduct.

In a statement released on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT), CNN said that the records “raise serious questions” about Chris Cuomo’s conduct.

“These documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew,” a CNN spokesman said. “As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation.”

The records, which were released on Monday, include transcripts and exhibits from an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against Andrew Cuomo. They show Chris Cuomo gave detailed feedback on his brother’s statements to the press and gathered information about coming stories involving his brother’s accusers.

The records include text messages sent by Chris Cuomo to one of his brother’s top aides and a transcript of an interview with the anchor conducted by investigators working for New York ­Attorney-General Letitia James.

Cuomo is one of CNN’s biggest stars, anchoring the network’s 9pm hour in prime time. CNN president Jeff Zucker delivered the news to Cuomo directly during a meeting on Tuesday afternoon, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Andrew Cuomo stepped down as governor earlier this year after a report by Ms James’s office that said he sexually harassed multiple women in violation of state and federal laws, created a hostile work environment and retaliated against at least one former employee. Mr Cuomo has said he never touched anybody inappropriately. After Ms James’s office released new records on Monday, a spokesman for Andrew Cuomo said that aspects of her investigation into the former governor were politically motivated.

The records include text messages between Chris Cuomo and Melissa DeRosa, one of his brother’s top aides. Cuomo suggests possible statements to the press in the aftermath of stories about sexual misconduct, at one point annotating his brother’s response in detail.

In another text, Cuomo told Ms DeRosa that he had information. “I have a lead on the wedding girl,” he texted Ms DeRosa on March 4. The text came days after the New York Times published an article in which a woman accused Andrew Cuomo of inappropriate touching at a 2019 wedding reception.

The Wall Street Journal