New details emerge about how CNN anchor Chris Cuomo advised Gov. Andrew Cuomo amid sex harassment inquiry
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State prosecutors shed new light Tuesday on CNN anchor Chris Cuomo’s involvement in managing the response to the sexual harassment scandal surrounding his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The cable news personality was in the governor’s inner circle as they developed talking points and strategies in late February as accusations threatened the three-term governor, according to emails and text messages made public by investigators for New York Attorney General Letitia James.
In May, the CNN anchor admitted to having “inappropriate” strategy talks with his brother and vowed to steer clear of the network’s ongoing coverage of Gov. Cuomo. But Tuesday’s report from the attorney general hinted at the depth of those strategy consultations.
CNN’s Chris Cuomo apologizes over advising his brother Gov. Andrew Cuomo
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According to the report:
In a 3:20 p.m. ET email on Feb. 28, Vlasto replied to an email from Chris Cuomo containing language that would largely make up a later statement issued by the governor.
“Questions have been raised about some of my personal interactions with people in my office,” the statement attributed to Chris Cuomo’s email said. “I spend most of my life at work and colleagues are often also personal friends. I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm.”
The email continued, “sometimes I am playful and make jokes. You have seen me do it at briefings hundreds of times. My only desire is to add some levity and banter to what is very serious business.”
On Feb. 28, Gov. Andrew Cuomo posted a statement addressing sexual harassment allegations on the governor’s official website.
The statement was timestamped at 5:45 p.m. ET and mirrored, nearly word-for-word, the contents of the email attributed to Chris Cuomo.
The governor’s statement that day, picked up by several news media outlets within minutes, said: “Questions have been raised about some of my past interactions with people in the office. I never intended to offend anyone or cause any harm. I spend most of my life at work and colleagues are often also personal friends.”
“At work sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I do, on occasion, tease people in what I think is a good natured way. I do it in public and in private,” the governor’s Feb. 28 statement continued. “You have seen me do it at briefings hundreds of times. I have teased people about their personal lives, their relationships, about getting married or not getting married. I mean no offense and only attempt to add some levity and banter to what is a very serious business. “
Representatives for Chris Cuomo could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday.
A CNN spokeswoman declined comment on the James report on Tuesday but repeated earlier network statements that Chris Cuomo didn’t affect coverage of the New York governor.
Kathleen Culver, director for the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said she has some sympathy for Chris Cuomo and his desire to help his brother.
“As hard as it is to see your brother mired in controversy, your obligation as a journalist is to the public you serve,” she said. “If it’s true that Chris Cuomo drafted the statement later put out by the governor’s office or he encouraged an approach that emphasized contrition, his involvement was deeper than what he disclosed to viewers in May. That moves far beyond being ‘looped into phone calls’ with staff members. It’s playing an active role in shaping the narrative of the controversy.”
And even if Chris Cuomo didn’t pressure anyone at his network to change coverage of his brother, just the conflict-of-interest appearance can be damaging, Culver said.
“These sorts of cases have the power to directly affect the public’s trust in all news outlets, not just Chris Cuomo and CNN,” Culver said. “Once that bond is damaged or broken, it’s hard to rebuild.”
In May, Chris Cuomo apologized for “inappropriate” conversations he had with his brother’s staff amid the harassment inquiry.
The Washington Post had reported at the time that Chris Cuomo participated in strategy phone calls with senior staff members for his brother and encouraged his brother to take a “defiant position” amid growing calls for his resignation. Two people present on one call told the newspaper that Chris Cuomo brought up “cancel culture” when encouraging his brother to stand his ground in the scandal.
Cuomo addressed the issue on his show at the time and apologized to colleagues, adding that he has not covered the allegations against his brother and has been “walled off” from CNN’s coverage.
“When my brother’s situation became turbulent, being looped into calls with other friends of his and advisors that did include some of his staff — I understand why that was a problem for CNN,” he said.
“It will not happen again. It was a mistake, because I put my colleagues here, who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot,” he said. “I never intended for that, I would never intend for that, and I am sorry for that.”