On Tuesday, CNN suspended its top news anchor Chris Cuomo indefinitely after new information came to light, revealing that he advised his older brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to handle accusations of sexual harassment made against him.
The announcement by the cable news channel came after New York Attorney General Letitia James released documents on Monday showing how the younger Cuomo advised his brother, who was forced to step down as governor in August after 11 women alleged that he sexually harassed them. Despite his resignation, Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing.
"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 Tuesday evening. "The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions."
As reported by CNN, the documents included text messages between Chris and Melissa DeRosa, former Gov. Cuomo's top-aide, revealing that Chris attempted to create a defense for his brother amid the sexual allegations. The "Cuomo Primetime" host also appears to have tried using his connections in the media to further investigate the case and the women involved.
According to Reuters, the documents showed the complete opposite of what Cuomo told his viewers after his brother resigned. At that time, Cuomo contended that he was "not an advisor," but a "brother."
"I never attacked nor encouraged anyone to attack any woman who came forward," he had said. "I never made calls to the press about my brother's situation."
Cuomo had previously breached CNN's rules when he offered advice to his brother's staff. When the network caught wind of this in May, they instructed him to stop doing so.
"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 explained. "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," the spokesperson added. "As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation."
As reported by Reuters, in late October, a criminal complaint with a misdemeanor sex offense was filed against Andrew Cuomo in an Albany court.
Related:
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Resigns amid Sexual Harassment Accusations
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Justin Sullivan/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
