After coming back from a “long-planned vacation” and ignoring it for a week, CNN Prime Time host Chris Cuomo finally got around to talking about his role in his brother, disgraced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s sexual misconduct scandal (only after punting it to the end of the show). Throughout his comments, Cuomo would lie and mislead his audience about his role and what he was being honest about on his show.
After first thanking his supporters for “reaching out” to him, Cuomo went on to opine about how people were hurting and he hoped that a “higher good” could come from it all. And, of course, he had to talk about how hard it was for him (Click “expand”):
My brother, as you know, resigned as governor of New York and will be stepping down next week. There are a lot of people feeling a lot of hurt and a lot of pain right now. And my hope is that ultimately, everyone involved can get to a better place. That some higher good will be served in all of this.
As for me, I've told you it's never easy being in this business and coming from a political family, especially now. The situation is unlike anything I could have imagined. And yet, I know what matters at work and at home. Everyone knows you support your family. I know and appreciate that you get that.
Eventually, the lies would pour out of him like an overflowing bucket. “I'm not an advisor,” he declared. “I wasn't in control of anything. I was there to listen and offer my take and my advice to my brother was simple and consistent.”
That’s in direct conflict with what New York Attorney General Letitia James found in her report. According to e-mail evidence, Cuomo was crafting his brother’s public statements in February with large sections of his words ending up in the final official statement.
He also suggested he told his brother to “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.” But according to a Washington Post report, he told his brother to malign his accusers as being a part of “cancel culture.”
And despite saying he wasn’t an adviser, Cuomo admitted: “I did urge my brother to resign when the time came.”
He went on to whine: “There are stories and critics saying all kinds of things about me, many unsupported.” But in reality he was the one lying. He just told us he advised his brother to resign, but he then suggested that he stopped doing that back in May:
And as you know, back in May when I was told to no longer communicate with my brother's aides in any group meetings, I acknowledged it was a mistake, I apologized to my colleagues, and I stopped and I meant it.
Yet, another Washington Post report found that he was advising his brother in the middle of the latest blow up in the scandal.
“I never misled anyone about the information I was delivering or not delivering on this program,” he asserted. But we know that’s not true because when his cover was blown back in May, he never disclosed just how he was working for his brother. “Now, today there are stories out there about me offering my brother advice. Of course, I do. This is no revelation,” he said at the time.
If he was actually being honest, he would have told his audience back then that he had written his brother’s statement. Then again, he was being honest in the moment either.
Chris Cuomo’s lies were made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Liberty Mutual and BMW. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they fund.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time
August 16, 2021
9:52:37 p.m. EasternCHRIS CUOMO: Before we wrap up tonight, there’s one more thing I do want to say about me, my brother, my family, and you. First, thank you. Thank you for reaching out. I appreciate the concern and the support. I really do
My brother, as you know, resigned as governor of New York and will be stepping down next week. There are a lot of people feeling a lot of hurt and a lot of pain right now. And my hope is that ultimately, everyone involved can get to a better place. That some higher good will be served in all of this.
As for me, I've told you it's never easy being in this business and coming from a political family, especially now. The situation is unlike anything I could have imagined. And yet, I know what matters at work and at home. Everyone knows you support your family. I know and appreciate that you get that.
But you should also know I never covered my brother's troubles because I obviously have a conflict and there are rules at CNN about that. I said last year that his appearances on this show would be short-lived and they were. The last was over a year ago, long before any kind of scandal. I also said back then that a day would come when he would have to be held to account and I can't do that. I said point-blank, I can't be objective when it comes to my family. So, I never reported on the scandal.
And when it happened, I tried to be there for my brother. I'm not an advisor. I'm a brother. I wasn't in control of anything. 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.
And yes, while it was something I never ever imagined having to do, I did urge my brother to resign when the time came. There are stories and critics saying all kinds of things about me, many unsupported but know this, my position has never changed.
I never misled anyone about the information I was delivering or not delivering on this program. I never attacked nor encouraged anyone to attack any woman who came forward. I never made calls to the press about my brother's situation. I never influenced or attempted to control CNN's coverage of my family.
And as you know, back in May when I was told to no longer communicate with my brother's aides in any group meetings, I acknowledged it was a mistake, I apologized to my colleagues, and I stopped and I meant it.
It was a unique situation being a brother to a politician in a scandal and being part of the media. I tried to do the right thing, and I just want you-all to know that. As I've said, we have rules here at CNN that prevent me from reporting on my brother. They remain in place and will continue to.
Tonight, I simply wanted to address something that given what's happened, I just felt it needed to be said. This will be my final word on it, and I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to do so. Let's take a break. We'll be right back.
