United States: CNN Fires Star Presenter Chris Cuomo

The 24-hour news channel CNN has decided to dismiss one of its featured presenters. The American broadcaster fired journalist Chris Cuomo following an investigation into his involvement in the defence of his brother, former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, on charges of sexual assault. On Tuesday, the journalist was suspended by his employer for an “indefinite” period.

“Chris Cuomo was suspended earlier this week pending further assessment of new information that has come to light regarding his involvement in his brother's defence. We engaged a respected law firm to conduct this assessment and terminated his employment with immediate effect,” a statement posted on CNN's official Twitter account said. “During the course of the investigation, new information was discovered.”

The American chain also indicates that it will continue to “investigate” after the dismissal of Chris Cuomo. Producers and other staff who work on “Cuomo Prime Time”, the presenter's show, will retain their positions. Chris Cuomo will be replaced by his usual replacement starting next week.

If I can help my brother, I will

The dismissal comes after the release of documents by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. We learn that Chris Cuomo, who presented the 9-hour news segment of the American channel, advised his brother, a politician, which was deemed inappropriate by CNN. “The documents, which we were not aware of prior to their public release, raise serious questions,” a CNN spokesperson said Tuesday, adding that they “reveal a level of involvement in helping his brother more important than what we knew ”.

“This is not how I wanted my job at CNN to end, but I have already told you why and how I helped my brother. Disappointing as it may sound, I couldn't be more proud of the Cuomo Prime Time show crew and the work they did in a very competitive time slot,” Chris Cuomo said in a tweet.

Several sexual assault charges

Faced with accusations of sexual assault by at least 11 women, Andrew Cuomo, the powerful governor of New York State for ten years and who had taken on a national political dimension in 2020 thanks to his management of the Covid-19 pandemic, had to resign last August.

In October, the former governor – whose father Mario Cuomo had also served as governor of New York – was indicted for sexual assault on a former collaborator in December 2020.