New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo defended having his CNN-anchor brother take part in strategy sessions regarding the sexual assault allegations leveled against him.
“I had conversations with my brother. I always have conversations with my brother because he’s my brother and he’s my best friend,” Andrew Cuomo said when asked if CNN’s Chris Cuomo advised him on how to respond to the allegations.
“Obviously, he was aware of what was going on, and I talked to him about it and he told me his thoughts,” Andrew Cuomo added, according to the New York Post. “He always tells me his thoughts. Sometimes I follow them, sometimes I don’t. He was not covering the story. He had recused himself from the story.”
Andrew Cuomo claimed this was not inappropriate at all, despite Chris Cuomo’s position with CNN and the conflict of interest it created, because “I talk to journalists about situations all the time and they tell me their thoughts and advice.”
The governor didn’t identify who the other journalists he might solicit for advice would be, nor did he say what kind of advice he would request from them.
A report last week found that Chris Cuomo took part in a high-level strategy session with his brother and senior members of the governor’s staff. He advised Andrew Cuomo to ignore the demands for his resignation and use the phrase “cancel-culture” as justification.
CNN admitted Chris Cuomo’s conduct was inappropriate but said he would not be disciplined.
On his show last week, Chris Cuomo said being involved in the calls was a mistake.
“I put my colleagues here [at CNN], who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot,” the anchor said at the top of his show. “I never intended for that, I would never intend for that, and I am sorry for that.”
