The details of the governor’s misconduct are stomach-churning, and range from inappropriate remarks to unwanted sexual touching and kissing. He grabbed an assistant’s breast under her shirt, felt up a state trooper’s back and stomach, asked for help finding a girlfriend who “can handle pain,” told a young aide he was “lonely and wanted to be touched,” and kissed multiple employees on the lips. (Cuomo has only denied some of the accusations.)
The governor should be impeached immediately. But he is not the only malefactor in this story.
The AG’s inquiry also shone a spotlight on the governor’s brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who played a role in managing the response to his brother’s sexual harassment scandal. Chris Cuomo assisted in strategy sessions and helped develop talking points.
A chain of emails from February include references to “Chris”—“I don’t love that part but Chris/Andrew wanted in” and “Chris wants to make sure we have enough contrition in here”—in developing a public response to the growing scandal. Chris also appears to have played a role in the governor’s public statements, possibly even composing some of them. An email shows him suggesting the governor downplay the allegations by saying “sometimes I am playful and make jokes” in order to add “some levity and banter to what is a very serious business.”
None of this was disclosed to CNN’s viewers, as the network continued to “cover” the scandal. Nor was the extent of Chris’s involvement explored when Chris finally did address what he called “inappropriate” conversations he had with his brother’s staff.
And yet, despite this massive conflict of interest, CNN is still standing by Chris Cuomo. While it’s true that Chris did not cover the scandal about his brother, his show has included fawning coverage of his brother early in the pandemic, including bantering about their mother.
“I think that [CNN President] Jeff [Zucker] has made it clear that he has Chris’s back no matter what,” a CNN employee told Buzzfeed.
How can a channel providing Chris Cuomo that kind of protection fairly cover his brother?
This is a uniquely egregious example of CNN sacrificing the trust of viewers to the celebrity of its anchors. But it is also emblematic of the attitude much of the media had from the moment of the first accusation against Cuomo and throughout the whole investigation. The investigations came on the heels of months of Cuomo fandom from the highest journalistic venues. Cuomo was lionized by the media as the hero we needed for the pandemic, even as New York spiraled into one of the worst performers during the pandemic.
But though Cuomo was lauded across media outlets, none were more obsequious than CNN. Ana Navarro-Cárdenas, who extolled Cuomo’s “wisdom” on Twitter, defended him even after the allegations surfaced. CNN anchor Brian Stelter swooned for Cuomo, praising his “remarkable show of leadership.” “He’s providing hope, but not false hope,” Stelter said in March. Chris Cillizza called the governor a “terrific bureaucrat.” And of course, his brother Chris joined in, bragging about his brother the “Luv Guv.”
This behavior is not just embarrassing in light of the revelations about Cuomo’s sexual abuse. They are an indictment about how the network failed to protect viewers from an obvious conflict of interest.
Now we are hearing renewed calls for Cuomo to resign, including from President Biden. He’s right: These women deserve justice, and the evidence is more than clear about what kind of man Cuomo is.
But it’s not just Cuomo who needs to be impeached. CNN has played a major role in this scandal, and it’s time for us to speak up about it.
CNN likes to call itself the “most trusted name in news.” This has not been true for a long time. But its recent failure in covering up for a host running cover for the governor of New York is a step too far.
Mujahed Kobbe is the co-host of the Habibi Power Hour podcast and a political commentator comedian.
The views in this article are the writer’s own.
