Politics
Chris Cuomo accused of sexual harassment days before CNN firing over aiding brother Andrew Cuomo
Days before Chris Cuomo was suspended then fired from CNN for intimately helping his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a new allegation of sexual harassment against the anchor emerged.
Attorney Debra Katz said in a statement Sunday that she contacted CNN on Wednesday regarding her client’s allegations of “serious sexual misconduct” against Cuomo.
Two days later, she said she “was in discussions with CNN about providing documentary evidence of my client’s allegations and making my client available for an interview with CNN’s outside counsel.”
CNN announced Cuomo’s dismissal the next day. Cuomo was fired for assisting his brother as the politician faced similar sexual harassment allegations.
“My client came forward at this time because she felt in sharing her story and related documentation, she could help protect other women,” said Katz, who also represents Andrew Cuomo accuser Charlotte Bennett. “She will continue to cooperate with CNN’s investigation into her allegations.”
The client wishes to remain anonymous, Katz noted. Details of her allegations of “serious sexual misconduct” were not immediately available, and it is not clear what role the allegations played in Cuomo’s firing.
Cuomo’s spokesman Steven Goldberg told The New York Times and The Washington Post on Saturday that the allegations were not true. USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for CNN and Cuomo for further comment.
The new misconduct allegation comes after a veteran TV executive, Shelley Ross, wrote a column for The New York Times in September saying Chris Cuomo had groped her at a party 16 years ago when they both worked for ABC News. Cuomo told the newspaper that “I apologized to her then, and I meant it.”
On Saturday, CNN tweeted about Cuomo’s termination saying his firing is “effective immediately.”
“Chris Cuomo was suspended earlier this week pending further evaluation of new information that came to light about his involvement with his brother’s defense,” the statement read. “We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review and have terminated him.”
Cuomo responded to his termination on Twitter calling the decision “disappointing.”
“This is not how I want my time at CNN to end but I have already told you why and how I helped my brother,” he wrote. “I could not be more proud of the team at Cuomo Prime Time and the work we did as CNN’s #1 show in the most competitive time slot.”
He added: “I owe them all and will miss that group of special people who did really important work.”
According to dozens of transcripts, video interviews and text messages released Monday by the New York Attorney General’s Office, Chris Cuomo used his media “sources” and “other journalists” to look into the women who accused his brother, who then was the governor of New York, of sexual harassment.
CNN hired a law firm for that review, which it would not identify. The lawyers recommended Chris Cuomo’s termination and CNN chief Jeff Zucker informed the anchor of the decision on Saturday.
“It goes without saying that these decisions are not easy, and there are a lot of complex factors involved,” Zucker said in an email to CNN staff on Saturday.
Even with the firing, CNN said it will continue to investigate Cuomo’s conduct “as appropriate.”
CNN suspended the anchor Tuesday “indefinitely” after discovering the records released by the attorney general’s office. Cuomo addressed his suspension during his Sirius XM radio show Wednesday calling the disciplinary action weighed against him “embarrassing.”
