American news giant CNN has responded after new texts sent by host Chris Cuomo in relation to his brother Andrew's ongoing sexual misconduct scandal were released.
In early 2021, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faced a flood of sexual harassment allegations from women who had worked with him, stirringup a political maelstrom for the Democrat as he resisted calls for his resignation.
Now, a barrel of new texts released by the office of New York Attorney-General Letitia James have shown how CNN anchor Chris attempted to smooth over the storm.
Among the new revelations, it has been revealed Chris told the governor's staff that a friend of his requested actor Alec Baldwin to record a video rallying against "cancel culture" on Instagram. The post was purportedly meant to be a defence of brother Andrew Cuomo.
"My friend asked him to do it," Chris said in a text to Andrew's former aide Melissa DeRosa. "Very close to him."
The CNN anchor responded saying he in fact told Baldwin, who has since been wrapped up in a controversy of his own, to do the opposite.
"I know Alec Baldwin. So does Andrew. I have a very good friend who is named here, who called me said, 'Alec wants to talk about cancel culture or political correctness'," he said. "I asked him not to. I said, 'Tell him to stay out of it. It's not necessary.'
"He said, 'Well, he's going to do it. And I think it's a good idea for him to do it. He wants to talk about these things.'"
Chris Cuomo has also admitted he asked numerous journalists about the possibility of more accusers coming forward against his brother. In one text, top aide DeRosa told Cuomo there was a "Rumour going around from politico 1-2 more ppl coming out tomorrow … Can u check your sources?"
Chris Cuomo replied with "on it," and wrote back, "No one has heard that yet" approximately 40 minutes later.
The texts found the CNN host also implored DeRosa to close off his brother's inner circle, asking to be included in conversations alongside political campaign manager Lis Smith and PR specialist Jeffrey Pollock.
"You need to trust me lis and jeff more," the CNN host wrote. "Not these other people. We are making mistakes we cant afford."
Chris Cuomo previously claimed he "never influenced or attempted to control CNN's coverage of my family" while under oath.
In May, The Washington Post revealed Cuomo privately advised his brother on how to respond to the accusations, joining "a series of conference calls" that also included the Governor's top aide, public relations team and lawyers.
"The cable news anchor encouraged his brother to take a defiant position and not to resign from the Governor's office," said the newspaper.
"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 Cuomo cuts against the widely accepted norm in journalism that those reporting the news should not be involved in politics."
In August, the CNN star released a statement acknowledging his mistake in contacting members of his brother's staff, but remained adamant he never used his position as a prominent news host to alter the story.
"I never covered my brother's troubles because I obviously have a conflict, and there are rules at CNN about that," he said.
Chris Cuomo during an interview with host Seth Meyers. Photo / Getty Images
"I said last year that his appearances on this show would be short-lived, and they were. The last was over a year ago, long before any kind of scandal. I also said back then that a day would come when he would have to be held to account and I can't do that.
"I said point blank, I can't be objective when it comes to my family, so I never reported on the scandal and when it happened, I tried to be there for my brother.
"I never misled anyone about the information I was delivering or not delivering on this program."
Spokesman for Andrew Cuomo, Rich Azzopardi, shot down the latest info as a "manipulated release", declaring the documents a result of "obvious misuse of government resources".
"New Yorkers are no one's fool and James and her colleagues' obvious misuse of government resources to damage political opponents is as obvious and repugnant as it is unethical and illegal," Azzopardi said in a statement.
CNN said it would be conducting a "thorough review" of the new material.
"The thousands of pages of additional transcripts and exhibits that were released today by the NY Attorney-General deserve a thorough review and consideration," the network said in a Monday statement.
"We will be having conversations and seeking additional clarity about their significance as they relate to CNN over the next several days."
