It seems like CNN host Chris Cuomo is taking a second vacation after his brother Gov. Andrew Cuomo was entrenched in numerous sexual harassment scandals. Cuomo didn’t even finish the week and had host Michael Smerconish fill in the role. He didn’t even mention New York Attorney General Letitia James’ report regarding Gov. Cuomo. CNN then announced that they would start airing a one-hour special in the 9 PM ET time slot, which normally belongs to Chris Cuomo. This short vacation may lead to a temporary leave of absence and hopefully, we’ll never have to see another Cuomo face again.
Some reporters are trying to address Chris’s awkward position, with CNN’s Brian Stelter saying this has been a “conundrum” for the network with no perfect answer or solution. He notes that some of Cuomo’s colleagues are even irritated with him and accused the network of having “optics problems.” All for good ratings.
Stelter has continued to defend CNN and the network, particularly the strategy sessions Chris engaged in with his brother during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was even allowed to do “jokey interviews” with his brother during the lockdowns, which Stelter argued can be excused because it was an unprecedented time period.” He said Chris was able to “tune out the family drama” and conduct “compelling interviews” with some high ratings.
Stelter went on to say that Chris is a part of the governor’s damaged story and that he will “speak out when the time is right.” He said Chris Cuomo has “a lot to say” about the allegations but that he can’t do it right now. He explained how Chris has been silent about the scandals for two reasons: One, he can’t talk about his brother on tv now, and two, he cannot participate in any more of the governor’s strategy sessions.
The AG’s report reveals that Chris contributed to the governor’s “toxic harassment culture” and always did what he could to protect the governor. He even helped draft a response to his brother’s allegations in order to portray the victims as liars and blame them for cancel culture.
The report concluded that CNN’s Chris Cuomo operated with “confidential and often privileged information about state operations” and helped make decisions to impact the State business and employees without having a formal role or duty to the State. This is anything but “tuning out the drama.”
Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett slammed Gov. Cuomo and his brother’s cozy relationship, adding that it’s “nauseating” and “shameful” for a journalist to be doing that.
“Think about what was happening. Thousands and thousands of people were dying, and they’re yucking it up on national television? And Chris Cuomo spent months propping up his arrogant brother, not challenging him about things like his role and cover-up in nursing home deaths. The list goes on and on,” Jarrett said.
Jarrett said Chris Cuomo violated every “journalistic, ethical rule in the books” and said it will be up to the attorney general to decide whether or not the governor should be arrested, prosecuted, and jailed for assault and criminal harassment.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Stelter is covering the Cuomo case with pro-CNN propaganda and trying to make it seem like “rocket science” that they took Chris off the air in the first place. CNN wanted to sell scandal and the inside scoop when they could and now they are trying to distance themselves from the problem as much as they can. There is a difference between “tuning out the drama” and failing to report on one of the most important political scandals of the year.
