CNN admits Chris Cuomo inappropriately gave brother Andrew advice on sexual harassment scandal
CNN won't discipline the anchor, who participated in strategy sessions advising the New York governor not to resign over harassment charges.
Critics are piling on CNN anchor Chris Cuomo after he was forced to address his scandal after it was revealed that he advised his brother, embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as the Democrat faced growing calls for his resignation over sexual misconduct allegations.
Cuomo admitted that "of course" he gives his brother advice, something he said he had "never hidden."
"Like you, I bet, my family means everything to me. And I am fiercely loyal to them. I'm family first, job second," Cuomo told his viewers Thursday night.
"Cool. Resign then," Spectator USA contributor Stephen Miller reacted.
Cuomo acknowledged he was in a "unique and difficult situation" as the brother of the nation's most prominent governor while being CNN's star anchor, but he insisted "I know where the line is."
NBC Bay Area reporter Sergio Quintana mocked Cuomo, tweeting that his conduct "shows he does NOT know where that line is."
CNN ADMITS CHRIS CUOMO INAPPROPRIATELY PROVIDED BROTHER ADVICE ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT SCANDAL
New York Post reporter Lydia Moynihan also jabbed Cuomo's assertion that he knows "where the line is," showing an image of the prop comedy the CNN anchor conducted while interviewing his brother last year.
Washington Post reporter Josh Dawsey, who co-authored the report revealing Cuomo's actions, pointed out that the anchor "did not mention repeated interviews of his brother last spring where he heaped praise on his brother’s covid response."
While the "Cuomo Prime Time" host apologized to his CNN colleagues for putting them in a "bad spot" and vowed that "it will not happen again," other critics aren't exactly buying his sincerity.
CNN'S ANCHORS HAVE A HISTORY OF OFFERING ADVICE TO POLITICIANS
"This is not a statement that suggests he thinks he did anything wrong," Los Angeles Times reporter Noah Bierman tweeted.
"Literally you intentionally did it, so this seems kinda BS-ish to me," journalist and former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien told Cuomo.
As first reported by The Washington Post, CNN admitted on Thursday that its primetime host engaged in "inappropriate" strategy meetings with the embattled governor's team earlier this year as he faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment and unwanted touching.
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The stunning Washington Post report revealed the CNN anchor joined conference calls with top aides to the embattled governor earlier this year as charges of harassment mounted and prompted calls from both sides of the aisle for his resignation. Sources told the paper the younger Cuomo urged his brother to not step down and even invoked "cancel culture," a talking point the governor used back in March while engaging with reporters.
Fox News' David Rutz contributed to this report.