CNN Fires Chris Cuomo Amid Inquiry Into His Efforts to Aid His Brother
The New York Times
The cable news network said it had “terminated him, effective immediately,” a move that came four months after Andrew Cuomo resigned as governor of New York.
The star anchor Chris Cuomo was fired by CNN on Saturday, completing a stunning downfall for the network’s top-rated anchor amid an ongoing inquiry into his efforts to help his brother, Andrew M. Cuomo, then the governor of New York, stave off sexual harassment accusations.
Until last month, Mr. Cuomo had enjoyed the support of CNN’s president, Jeff Zucker, and he faced no discipline for his behind-the-scenes strategizing with Andrew Cuomo’s political aides, a breach of basic journalistic norms.
But the anchor was suspended on Tuesday after a new batch of testimony and text messages, released by the New York attorney general, revealed a more intimate and engaged role in his brother’s political affairs than the network said it had previously known. CNN said on Saturday that it had enlisted outside counsel to review Mr. Cuomo’s actions, a sign that its inquiry quickly entered a more serious stage.
