Chris Cuomo.Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty
The records, which consist of text messages, emails, and transcripts of Chris' testimony amid the sexual assault allegations against his brother, 63, show that theCuomo Prime Timehost, 51, was consistently in touch with one of Andrew’s closest aides, Melissa DeRosa, after news of the scandal broke earlier this year.
Andrew Cuomo, Chris Cuomo.Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
“Please let me help with prep,” reads a text from Chris to DeRosa, 38, in early March regarding Andrew’s statement about the allegations — which Chris described as “poor,” and revised via text, according to the records.
A few days afterThe New York Timespublished a report in which a woman named Anna Ruch accused theformer New York governorof an unwanted advance at a wedding, Chris texted DeRosa that he had “a lead on the wedding girl.”
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In another text exchange shown in the documents, DeRosa encouraged Chris to “check your sources” to gather intel after rumors that more women were planning on coming forward with allegations against the politician started making the rounds. “Rumor going around from politico 1-2 more ppl coming out tomorrow,” DeRosa wrote, adding, “Can u check your sources,” to which Chris replied, “On it.”
“I would — when asked, I would reach out to sources, other journalists, to see if they had heard of anybody else coming out,“Chris admitted to investigatorsin his deposition. “I was frequently in contact when we would hear word that there were other people coming out. Or there was more to be learned about somebody, I would talk to other journalists to hear what they had heard.”
In May, the longtime CNN host apologized for advising his brother on the sexual harassment claims against him, calling his involvement in the case “a mistake.”
“It was a mistake because I put my colleagues here, who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot,“Chris saidduring an episode ofCuomo Prime Time. “I never intended for that. I would never intend for that. And I am sorry for that.”
Before Chris' on-air apology,The Washington Posthad reported that the journalist had also participated “in a series of conference calls” with his brother, lawyers, aides, and strategists on how to navigate the allegations against the former New York governor, who laterresigned from his positionin August.
Fellow CNN news anchorJake Tapperissued a response to the controversy of Chris' involvement in his brother’s scandal, citing that journalists should not have a conflict of interest with the stories they are covering. “I cannot imagine a world in which anybody in journalism thinks that that was appropriate,” Tapper said during an interview withThe New York Times' Swaypodcast.
“He said, Chris, in his apology that he delivered on air, said that he put us in a bad spot. And I would also agree with that,” Tapper, 52, continued. “I work very hard to be fair and to be ethical and to not cross lines. And I certainly understand the love that Chris has for his brother, and I have a brother and I get it. But that was not a fun day.”
source: people.com
