CNN Anchor Chris Cuomo Mum on Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Him
He also didn't comment on the allegations on his social media, where Cuomo frequently posts.
"As Shelley acknowledges, our interaction was not sexual in nature. It happened 16 years ago in a public setting when she was a top executive at ABC. I apologised to her then, and I meant it", Cuomo wrote.
Over the years, the journalist has often been accused of being silent on stories that portrayed his brother, former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, in a negative light. The anchor didn't comment on The Wall Street Journal investigation that revealed that Andrew Cuomo's decision to delay the shut down of New York City during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic contributed to the high death toll in the US. Nor did he address a report by the Department of Health, which said that the governor's decision to force nursing homes to admit coronavirus patients had led to thousands of deaths among the elderly.
However, he did speak about sexual harassment allegations against his brother made earlier this year, though he did that more than a week after the first woman came forward with accusations against Andrew Cuomo. Back then, Cuomo said that he couldn't report on the issue as this would be a conflict of interest.
>> @ChrisCuomo at the top of @CuomoPrimeTime tonight: "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." pic.twitter.com/G49mZYTG4D
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) March 2, 2021
Chris Cuomo apologised for taking part in strategy calls with the governor and his staff and called his actions a "mistake" that won't happen again. At the same time, he stressed that he acted not as adviser, but a brother.
"I can be objective about just about any topic, but not about my family. Those of you who watch this show get it. Like you, I bet, my family means everything to me. And I am fiercely loyal to them. I'm family first, job second. I was there to listen and offer my take and my advice to my brother was simple and consistent. Own what you did, tell people what you'll do to be better, be contrite and finally, accept that it doesn't matter what you intended, what matters is how your actions and words were perceived. I'm not an adviser, I'm a brother", Cuomo said adding that he did advise his sibling to resign.
