CNN anchor Chris Cuomo reportedly gave advice to his embattled brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), on how to handle the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against him from current and former aides earlier this year.
The Washington Post reports that Chris was part of several phone calls with the governor and his team of lawyers, advisers and communications staffers to discuss the piling accusations.
A couple of people on one of the calls told the Post that the CNN star decried “cancel culture” while advising his brother not to back down amid the growing scandal — the exact same phrase the governor used to defend himself several months ago.
Andrew Cuomo “only trusts about five people, so that’s why Chris is on these calls,” an adviser told the Post.
A CNN spokesperson told TPM in an emailed statement that Chris Cuomo “has not been involved in CNN’s extensive coverage of the allegations” against his brother “on air or behind the scenes,” noting that the anchor himself admitted on his show that he could not cover the scandal objectively.
“However, it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governor’s staff, which Chris acknowledges,” the spokesperson said. “He will not participate in such conversations going forward.”
In early March, the CNN anchor bluntly told viewers, “I’ll be straight with you: Obviously I’m aware of what’s going on with my brother, and obviously I cannot cover it because he is my brother.”
The new revelations mark a second instance of Chris Cuomo’s involvement in one of his brother’s scandals, the first one being the fact that he was one of the governor’s family members who privately received VIP access to COVID-19 tests early in the pandemic.
The governor is under investigation for both the sexual misconduct allegations and, according to the New York Times, the priority testing he granted to his family and associates. He’s also being investigated for allegations that his office covered up COVID-19 nursing home deaths and that he allegedly had staffers help him with his impending memoir on his administration’s handling of the pandemic in New York.
