BREAKING: Chris Cuomo Suspended “Indefinitely” By CNN

 CNN host Chris Cuomo was suspended “indefinitely” by the cable network Tuesday a day after a trove of evidence released in the investigation of his brother former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo showed he used his reporting sources to help his brother fend off sexual harassment accusers.

Andrew Cuomo, in his third term as governor, resigned in disgrace in August after numerous women were found to have credibly accused him of sexual harassment while in office and as he faced mounting criticism over his role in the deaths of elderly nursing home patients in the COVID-19 pandemic

CNN’s Brian Stelter, “Breaking: CNN suspends Chris Cuomo. “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,” a spokesperson says.”

“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. The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions. 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.”

Excerpt from the CNBC story published Monday detailing Chris Cuomo using his position as a CNN journalism to help his brother the governor:

CNN host Chris Cuomo used his sources in the media world to seek information on women who accused his brother Andrew Cuomo, then the governor of New York, of sexual harassment, according to documents released Monday by the New York Attorney General’s Office.

While Chris Cuomo has previously acknowledged advising his brother and his team on the response to the scandals, the records show that his role in helping the then-governor was much larger and more intimate than previously known.

Chris Cuomo was actively in touch with Melissa DeRosa, who was the then-governor’s top aide, about incoming media reports that detailed alleged sexual harassment by Andrew Cuomo, according to exhibits from the Attorney General’s probe and a transcript of his interview with the state’s investigators. He also lobbied to help the governor’s office as it sought to weather the storm of accusations, and he dictated statements for the then-governor to use.

“Please let me help with the prep,” Chris Cuomo said to DeRosa in one message in early March. Then, three days after the New York Times reported in March about how Andrew Cuomo attempted to kiss a woman, 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 engaged with what he described as “sources” regarding the various allegations against his brother that were described in at least one news article, according to the records. He also said he talked to his sources about yet-to-be-published stories from media outlets.

…“I would – when asked, I would reach out to sources, other journalists, to see if they had heard of anybody else coming out,” Cuomo told investigators.