CNN recently reported that it learned of a new allegation of sexual misconduct against Chris Cuomo, its disgraced anchor, just days before his firing. The claim was made by Debra S. Katz, an attorney who represents the accused.
Katz’s client is a former junior colleague at another network, and the new allegation against Cuomo is “unrelated to Gov. Andrew Cuomo matter.” According to her lawyer, her client came forward “because she was disgusted at Chris Cuomo’s statements on air in response to allegations against his brother, Governor.” Andrew Cuomo, a CNN star, addressed the scandal in March and stated that he has always been deeply concerned about these issues.
Katz represents Charlotte Bennett, who was the second woman to file a complaint against the now-deposed New York Governor. Andrew Cuomo is accused of sexual harassment. A spokesperson for CNN said that based on the information they received concerning Chris’s conduct in his brother’s defense, it was reasonable to terminate him. They said they received new allegations this week that were taken seriously and saw no reason not to take immediate action.
Steven Goldberg, Cuomo’s spokesperson, said these anonymous allegations are false and added that if the goal was to have Mr. Cuomo punished on CNN, that could explain his unwarranted termination.
Shelley Ross is a TV producer who went public in September. She wrote a guest essay in The New York Times claiming that Cuomo had squeezed her buttock during a 2005 work function. The incident occurred while they were both colleagues at ABC News. She shared an email Cuomo had sent her, apologizing for his actions.
Ross said that it was always distressing to see someone fall from grace after Cuomo’s firing. Many people lost very valuable jobs after the sexual harassment scandals around Gov. Cuomo. Ross said that those who harass women and plot to silence or smear anyone who comes forward must be held responsible.
Cuomo spoke to former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. “Do you know how many f —– phone calls I’ve received from ABC employees who claim that journalists are calling and lying about the information they have about me in order to obtain stories about me while I was at ABC?
Cuomo, who quit ABC News in 2013, after having previously anchored “20/20” (Good Morning America), went on to detail what he had experienced. CNN released a statement announcing that Cuomo had been terminated effective immediately just days after Cuomo was suspended pending a review of the shocking revelations made by the New York Attorney General about his involvement in protecting his brother.
CNN president Jeff Zucker sent a memo to employees, stating, “Today, I let Chris know that CNN is ending his employment.” He also added, “It goes without mentioning that these decisions can be difficult and that there are many complex factors involved.” As always, I wanted to communicate with you all.
Cuomo issued his own response to his firing. Cuomo wrote that he couldn’t be prouder of Cuomo Prime Time and all the hard work they did to become CNN’s #1 program in the most competitive time slot. They are all my debts and I will miss this group of people who did such important work.
Monday marked the beginning of Chris Cuomo’s departure from CNN. The New York Attorney General released documents from its investigation into sexual harassment against the ousted Dem governor. Andrew Cuomo revealed that the anchor was more involved in helping his brother than he publicly admitted.
Transcripts of his interview with investigators reveal that the CNN star admitted to reaching out to media sources in order to learn about any new accusers who have not yet come forward.
Cuomo stated that he would ask sources (other journalists) if he had heard of anyone else coming out. Cuomo’s admission is contrary to what he said to CNN viewers in August when he stated that he had never called the press about his brother’s situation. “Cuomo Prime Tim” hosted a probe into Ronan Farrow’s reporting and passed it on to the governor.
Although he admitted to having contacted Farrow’s colleagues for updates, he claimed that it was just “business as usual” to use such methods. DeRosa asked DeRosa about the “intel” that CNN’s anchor had on Farrow’s March report. He replied that it was not ready for publication in text messages. Farrow’s story was finally published in mid-March.
The transcript of the interview with Andrew Cuomo ally and Dem strategist Lis Smith also showed that Chris Cuomo had sent her documents about Charlotte Bennett, the governor’s second accuser, and her “time at college.”
