Things have certainly shifted for Chris Cuomo this week and not for the better. The news anchor was once one of the more respected figures over at CNN, but today (November 30), the network has announced that he has been suspended indefinitely after information about his involvement in his brother Andrew Cuomo's case surfaced.
The latter Cuomo is currently being investigated for alleged sexual misconduct in the workplace. According to reports, Chris used his position and resources to allegedly help his brother face off against his accusers.
The news may not seem like much to some, but the media journalism world is shocked at the accusations.
"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," a CNN spokesperson said. "The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, 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," the spokesperson continued. "But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second. 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."
Andrew Cuomo accuser Charlotte Bennett has called out CNN for not immediately firing Chris, adding that it shows a lack of "both morals and a backbone."
The cache of documents included text messages between Chris Cuomo and Melissa DeRosa, a then-top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, that suggested he was instrumental in working to craft a defense against a flood of sexual misconduct allegations. The text messages also revealed that Chris Cuomo sought to use his connections in the press to help prepare the then-governor's team as accusers started to make their stories public.
However, Chris Cuomo reportedly told investigators that he asked his colleagues about a story written by journalist Ronana Farrow and stated that his inquiries are not unlike others he has made about other news cycles.
[via]