CNN finally admitted Tuesday night that anchor Chris Cuomo went too far. He crossed, blurred and stepped over the line of trusted network anchor when he used his position to help protect his big brother, Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York, fight off sexual harassment allegations that eventually led to his resignation in August.
Viewers tried to tell the network exactly that months ago. Network leaders didn’t listen. They should have. Instead, prosecutors forced CNN’s hand to take action as they released smoking gun documents showing the anchor’s involvement. Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide, said they were unaware, but this is still a failing by network management.
Now facing public exposure, CNN announced Tuesday night that it has suspended the anchor “indefinitely”; his career is undoubtedly damaged.
This time the evidence was too damning. New York attorney general investigative documents released Monday revealed that Chris Cuomo used his journalist’s know-how to track down a woman who accused his brother of kissing her without permission at a wedding.
“I have a lead on the wedding girl,” Chris Cuomo texted to his brother’s highest-ranking staffer, sounding both like a journalist and an investigator.