Chris Cuomo Indefinitely Suspended By CNN

CNN has indefinitely suspended anchor Chris Cuomo after documents released by the New York Attorney General’s office revealed that he used his own media connections in hopes of helping his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, address sexual assault allegations made against him.

State Attorney General Letitia James found that Cuomo pressed sources for information on his brother’s accusers and reported his findings to the governor’s staff after his brother was accused of sexually harassing at least 11 women.

“The New York Attorney General’s office released transcripts and exhibits Monday that shed new light on Chris Cuomo’s involvement in his brother’s defense,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement. “The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions.”

The spokesperson continued: “When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother’s staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly. But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second. However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew. As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation.”

Cuomo first joined CNN in 2013 as co-host of the network’s morning show. According to Nielsen ratings, his program Cuomo Prime Time (which airs at 9 p.m. ET) narrowly surpasses Anderson Cooper 360 as the network’s popular show, with an average of 1.3 million viewers (per AP News).

Following the network’s suspension of Cuomo, a second hour of Anderson Cooper 360 aired in his show’s place.