It appears CNN Cuomo Primetime host Chris Cuomo tapped some of his sources in the news media to pursue information on the women who accused his brother, then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, and to get ahead of stories regarding those allegations.
While the CNN host previously admitted to advising his brother and his team on the response to the harassment allegations, the newly-released interview transcript seems to show that his role in helping his brother was significantly larger than had previously been reported.
For instance, Chris Cuomo was actively in touch with a top aide for then-Gov. Cuomo, Melissa DeRosa, concerning incoming media reports that detailed alleged sexual harassment by the then-governor, according to a transcript of his interview with New York State investigators. He also tried to help the governor’s office by dictating statements for Andrew Cuomo to use.
“Please let me help with the prep,” Chris Cuomo told DeRosa in one message from March 2021. Then, three days after the New York Times reported in March about how Andrew Cuomo attempted to kiss a woman named Anna Ruch in an unwanted advance at a wedding, Chris Cuomo texted DeRosa: “I have a lead on the wedding girl.”
Chris Cuomo told investigators that he communicated with “sources” regarding the various harassment allegations against his brother that were described in at least one news story, according to the NY AG’s report.
Also in March, DeRosa texted Chris Cuomo: “Rumor going around from politico 1-2 more ppl coming out tomorrow. Can u check your sources?” The CNN primetime host responded: “On it.” He subsequently texted her: “No one has heard that yet.”
DeRosa and Chris Cuomo also discussed in March a soon-to-be published story from New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow which focused on allegations from former Cuomo aide Lindsay Boylan.
DeRosa asked Chris Cuomo to check with his sources about the Farrow piece, prior to publication. The records from the AG’s report do not show a direct response from Chris Cuomo agreeing to check with his sources. But on March 14, four days before the story was published, he texted DeRosa: “If ronan has nothing better than boylan thats a great sign.”
“Did u get any more intel?,” DeRosa asked him a day later. “Story not ready for tomorrow,” Chris Cuomo responded that same day.
The article published on March.
Chris Cuomo did give investigators the name of the source who talked to him about Ruch, but Attorney General Tish James, who is now running for Cuomo’s former role as governor, decided to redact the name of the individual.
“And so you heard from someone some information about Anna Ruch. Who is the person you heard information from?” the investigators asked Chris Cuomo, according to the transcript. “A source,” said Chris Cuomo.
The CNN host said that someone had called him who knew Ruch’s family, and that a source of his had explained that “maybe she had been put up to it.” It’s unclear whether Cuomo was referring to Ruch or someone else. According to CNBC, there were no additional details of that incident included in the transcript.
In response to these revelations, a CNN spokeswoman tells TVNewser: “The thousands of pages of additional transcripts and exhibits that were released today by the NY Attorney General deserve a thorough review and consideration. We will be having conversations and seeking additional clarity about their significance as they relate to CNN over the next several days.”
Former Gov. Cuomo continues to deny wrongdoing. Chris Cuomo has previously said that he wasn’t an official advisor to his brother, but he did acknowledge he counseled him and that he was one of the people who encouraged him to resign.