CNN to Review Chris Cuomo’s Role in Andrew Cuomo Scandal
Written by SOURCE on November 30, 2021
Chris Cuomo may have crossed a line with the lengths he went to help his brother, Andrew Cuomo, fend off a cascade of sexual harassment allegations, a new deposition revealed.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, CNN, where Cuomo works as an anchor, is investigating his deposition with the New York Attorney General’s office, to determine if the younger Cuomo engaged in inappropriate conduct.
“The thousands of pages of additional transcripts and exhibits that were released today by the NY Attorney General deserve a thorough review and consideration,” a CNN spokesperson said, per CNBC. “We will be having conversations and seeking additional clarity about their significance as they relate to CNN over the next several days.”
Cuomo allegedly used his media connections to discover more information about the women who accused his brother of sexual harassment. Though he had already admitted to helping his brother and his team navigate the scandal, the documentation reveals that Chris advised his brother in a more significant way than previously thought.
Cuomo was regularly speaking to the ex-governor’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa about media coverage of his brother’s scandal, and assisted in writing statements for him to use. “Please let me help with the prep,” Cuomo wrote to DeRosa in a text message in early March. While he said he wasn’t an official advisor to his brother, Cuomo did say that he was counseling Andrew and told him to resign.
The CNN host told investigators that he was in contact with his “sources” to find out about the allegations lodged against his brother, and to find out about what stories were in the pipeline. “I would—when asked, I would reach out to sources, other journalists, to see if they had heard of anybody else coming out,” Cuomo told investigators.
Documentation shows that in a text message to DeRose in March, Cuomo wrote, “I have a lead on the wedding girl,” referring to Anna Ruch, the woman the former governor allegedly tried to kiss at a wedding without consent. Cuomo later gave the source’s name to investigators, though the name was redacted in his deposition.
That same month, DeRosa and Cuomo spoke about an upcoming story from Ronan Farrow, which was to be published in the New Yorker. DeRosa asked Cuomo to ask his sources about the Farrow story. He told investigators he talked to “another journalist” about the Farrow piece before it was published, but never contacted Farrow directly about it. Cuomo said inquiring about the story was “business-as-usual.” The piece later ran on March 18.
Andrew Cuomo stepped down as governor in August after state Attorney General Letitia James shared her report on his alleged misconduct. In October, he was charged with a misdemeanor sex crime for allegedly groping a woman at his mansion in Albany, New York.
