CNN host Chris Cuomo returned from vacation and addressed New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s scandal during his show Monday night.
The New York Governor, who is Chris Cuomo’s brother, announced Aug. 10 that he was resigning from his position following a damning attorney general’s report. The report found that he had sexually harassed multiple women, subjecting them to lewd comments and unwanted touching, and also participated in a pressure campaign to keep the women quiet.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said that Cuomo had violated both state and federal law but would not face charges. Cuomo’s resignation will be effective next week.
Chris Cuomo returned from his week-long vacation Monday and thanked the audience for “reaching out” and expressing “concern and support.” (RELATED: Tucker Stands Up For CNN’s Chris Cuomo: ‘Loyalty Should Be To Your Family Above All Else’)
“My brother, as you know, resigned as governor of New York and will be stepping down next week,” he said. “There are a lot of people feeling a lot of hurt and a lot of pain right now. And my hope is that ultimately, everyone involved can get to a better place. That some higher good will be served in all of this.”
CNN’s Chris Cuomo addresses the situation with his brother, saying that he urged him to resign:
“It was a unique situation being a brother to a politician in a scandal and being part of the media. I tried to do the right thing and I just want you all to know that.” pic.twitter.com/DG4Fq7vSfJ
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 17, 2021
The CNN host said that he hadn’t covered his brother’s scandals, including reports that he had altered data on nursing homes to make his pandemic response look better because he “obviously [has] a conflict.” He added that his brother’s appearances on CNN were “short-lived” and took place “long before any kind of scandal.”
However, Fox News media reporter Joseph Wulfsohn pointed out that the governor’s last appearance on his brother’s show was in June of 2020, and the nursing home scandal broke in May of that same year.
Cuomo then acknowledged he had advised his brother on how to handle the sexual harassment allegations, and said that he eventually urged him to resign.
“I’m not an adviser. I’m a brother,” Cuomo said. “I wasn’t in control of anything. I was there to listen and offer my take, and my advice to my brother was simple and consistent – own what you did, tell people what you’ll do to be better, be contrite, and finally, accept that it doesn’t matter what you intended. What matters is how your actions and words were perceived. And yes, while it was something I never ever imagined ever having to do, I did urge my brother to resign when the time came.”
Cuomo told the audience that he “never misled anyone” about the information he was delivering. “I never attacked, or encouraged anyone to attack, any woman who came forward.” He added that he never controlled or attempted to influence CNN’s coverage of the governor.
“It was a unique situation being a brother to a politician in a scandal and being part of the media. I tried to do the right thing and I just want you all to know that.”
