With the news that broke earlier today about the disturbing findings of New York Attorney General Tish James regarding the investigation into the sexual harassment claims against Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come some straight-up gaslighting from the Governor himself as well as the network that covered for him the most over the last 18 months: CNN.
If you’ll recall, after multiple women stepped forward earlier this year to accuse the so-called “Luv Guv” of sexual harassment, intimidation, and inappropriate touching, a blockbuster report revealed that in addition to CNN anchor Chris Cuomo shamelessly covering for his brother’s disastrous handling of the pandemic, he also played a central role in advising him on how to handle questions from the media about the sexual harassment allegations:
The cable news anchor encouraged his brother to take a defiant position and not to resign from the governor’s office, the people said. At one point, he used the phrase “cancel culture” as a reason to hold firm in the face of the allegations, two people present on one call said.
The behind-the-scenes strategy offered by Chris Cuomo, who anchors CNN’s 9 p.m. nightly newscast, cuts against the widely accepted norm in journalism that those reporting the news should not be involved in politics.
Shortly after the story went viral, Chris Cuomo disingenuously expressed regret on air for his actions, calling them “inappropriate.”
Fast forward to today and in the midst of CNN’s “reporting” on the report issued from James’ office, here’s how they downplayed Chris Cuomo’s involvement in his brother’s sexual harassment scandal:
CNN's John King mentions that Chris Cuomo was interviewed for the report "as someone who reached out and talked to his brother as this crisis was unfolding". Doesn't mention Chris took part in *strategy calls* on how the Gov should respond or that he apparently drafted statements pic.twitter.com/QwxuFPC30z
— David Mack (@davidmackau) August 3, 2021
Except the receipts don’t lie. Chris Cuomo did more than just “reach out” to his powerful brother as the scandal was unfolding. He played a key role in his response strategy:
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo testified as part of the NY AG's investigation into his brother, confirming that he was part of a small team of advisers that helped Gov. Cuomo respond to the sexual harassment claims (pages 112-115): https://t.co/tCiYf5GLhL
— Alex Weprin (@alexweprin) August 3, 2021
It appears as though Chris Cuomo helped craft Gov. Cuomo’s Feb. 28 statement responding to the Bennett allegations. pic.twitter.com/EYII4yZY1J
— Alex Weprin (@alexweprin) August 3, 2021
Do not overlook the Cuomo report appendix, which includes Charlotte Bennett's texts about her Cuomo interactions and this email from Chris Cuomo appearing to draft a statement for his brother https://t.co/uN17cZRbNJ pic.twitter.com/etUCrQbWTX
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) August 3, 2021
I wish I could say it was unbelievable that CNN was trying to whitewash what their “Prime Time” anchor did here, but it’s entirely believable that they’re trying to cover for his (and their) serious ethical lapses because as we all know at this point, CNN is not a news organization.
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