Popular CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has been fired from the network “effective immediately.”
Cuomo’s firing came after CNN suspended him last week over the help he gave his brother, ex-New York governor Andrew Cuomo, while he was battling harassment allegations.
It would be recalled Andrew Cuomo had resigned in August after prosecutors claimed he harassed some of his female staff.
“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,” CNN said in a statement.
“We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately.
“While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light. Despite the termination, we will investigate as appropriate,” the statement added.
Cuomo responded to his termination, saying in a statement, “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.
“So let me now say as disappointing as this is, 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. I owe them all and will miss that group of special people who did really important work.”
Transcripts from Cuomo’s interview with state investigators revealed CNN star admitting he would reach out to media sources to find out about new accusers who had yet to come forward publicly.
“When asked, I would reach out to sources, other journalists, to see if they had heard of anybody else coming out,” Cuomo told investigators.
“The New York Attorney General’s office released transcripts and exhibits Monday that shed new light on Chris Cuomo’s involvement in his brother’s defense,” CNN said in a Tuesday statement announcing Cuomo’s suspension.
“The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions. When Chris admitted to us he had offered advice to his brother’s staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly. But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second,” the statement added.
“However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew. As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation,” CNN added.
