Andrew Cuomo: Chris Cuomo helped advise brother on how to respond to sexual harassment allegations

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo took part in calls to discuss strategy as his brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, was inundated with allegations of sexual harassment.

The cable news host spoke to his brother and senior members of his staff as scandal engulfed the governor earlier this year, The Washington Post reported.

The multiple conference calls included the governor’s top staffer, his communications team, attorneys, and several outside advisors, according to anonymous sources who spoke to The Post.

The calls were prompted by the growing number of allegations from women who said the governor had made inappropriate comments or touched them without their consent.

Sources told the Post that Chris Cuomo encouraged his brother to take a defiant stance and not resign. He reportedly used the phrase “cancel culture” to justify holding on to the governor’s mansion.

Columbia Journalism School professor Nicholas Lemann told the paper: “If you are actively advising a politician in trouble while being an on-air host on a news network, that’s not okay.”

While CNN told the Post that Chris Cuomo won’t be disciplined, the network did say his participation in the conference calls was a mistake.

“Chris has not been involved in CNN’s extensive coverage of the allegations against Governor Cuomo — on-air or behind the scenes,” the network told the paper in a statement. “In part because, as he has said on his show, he could never be objective. But also because he often serves as a sounding board for his brother.

“However, it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governor’s staff, which Chris acknowledges,” the statement said. “He will not participate in such conversations going forward.”

The governor’s staffers say the cable news star was simply part of an informal effort to provide support to his brother.

Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for the governor, told The Washington Post: “There were a few phone conversations, with friends and advisers giving the governor advice.”

One adviser said: “The governor only trusts about five people. So that’s why Chris is on these calls.”

The paper previously reported that a top New York State Department of Health doctor was sent to the house of Chris Cuomo and his family in the Hamptons early on in the Covid-19 pandemic, providing special access to testing to the family members of the governor.

People who know the brothers say Chris Cuomo, who is 13 years younger than Andrew, is a key adviser and friend to his brother, regularly providing political guidance to the governor, who has been in office since January 2011.

Current and past members of the Cuomo administration say the CNN anchor was also a sounding board for the governor early on in the pandemic, providing suggestions on possible providers of protective equipment.

At least seven women have come forward with allegations of inappropriate behaviour against Andrew Cuomo and his conduct is being investigated by the state’s attorney general and the state assembly. While the governor has denied the allegations, he has apologised for unintentionally making anyone feel uncomfortable.

Chris Cuomo initially didn’t mention the allegations on his 9pm CNN show. On March 1, when a third accuser made her allegations publicly, he said on his programme: “Obviously, I am aware of what is going on with my brother. And obviously, I cannot cover it because he is my brother. Now, of course, CNN has to cover it. They have covered it extensively and they will continue to do so. I have always cared very deeply about these issues, and profoundly so. I just want to tell you that.”

He had the opposite stance on covering the actions of his brother a year earlier when he regularly interviewed him on his show about how New York was handling the then-growing pandemic. The interviews were warm, heartfelt and the governor was allowed to lay out his case for how to deal with the crisis.

People with knowledge of the conference calls say Chris Cuomo didn’t lead the conversations but mainly provided political advice, rather than offering opinions on the allegations and the women making them.

The governor heard a number of opinions on the conference calls, which were often prompted by news stories about to be published and which needed a response from the governor’s office.

While Chris Cuomo was initially prohibited from covering his brother when he joined CNN in 2013, the network made an exception when the pandemic started to take over American life.

In one of their six shared appearances, Mr Cuomo held up a giant nasal swab as they talked about the spread of Covid-19.

In June 2020, Mr Cuomo told the governor on-air: “I’m wowed by what you did, and more importantly, I’m wowed by how you did it. This was very hard. I know it’s not over. But obviously I love you as a brother, obviously I’ll never be objective, obviously I think you’re the best politician in the country.”

CNN explained the exception to allow the brothers to appear together on air by saying their interactions were of significant human interest.