CNN anchor Chris Cuomo addressed the allegations of sexual harassment against his brother, governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, Monday night, saying that he “obviously” cannot report the story.
Early Monday “Cuomo Prime Time“show, the journalist said he will not be covering the article due to the conflict of interest.
“You are frank with me, I will be frank with you,” Cuomo said to the audience. “Obviously, I am aware of what is happening to my brother. And obviously, I cannot cover it because he is my brother.”
“Now, of course, CNN has to cover,” he continued. “They have covered the subject extensively and will continue to do so. I have always been very concerned with these issues, and deeply. I just wanted to tell you this. There is a lot of news going on that also matters, so let’s start after that.”
CNN allowed the Cuomo brothers joke in the air on several occasions last spring, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States – when New York was the epicenter and the journalist contracted virus. Since Cuomo joined the network in 2013, he has been barred from covering stories about his brother.
“The first few months of the pandemic crisis were an extraordinary time,” a CNN spokesman told Entertainment Tonight. “We felt that Chris talking to his brother about the challenges faced by millions of American families was of significant human interest. As a result, we made an exception to a rule that we have in place since 2013 that prevents Chris from interviewing and covering his brother, and this rule remains in effect today. CNN has covered news about Governor Cuomo extensively. “
Governor Cuomo is facing accusations that he was sexually inappropriate for three women. Accusations of harassment by two women, former advisers to Cuomo, prompted New York attorney general Letitia James to open an investigation, and the governor faces requests to resign.
Cuomo tried to apologize in a statement on Sunday.
“Now I understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or very personal,” he said. “Some of the things I said were misinterpreted as unwanted flirting. To the extent that someone felt that way, I’m really sorry.”
At the same time, the FBI and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn opened an investigation into how the Cuomo administration handled nursing home residents who contracted COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic.