CNN decided to hold one of their own accountable. Host Chris Cuomo was fired last Friday for his role concerning former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s groping fiasco. He held impromptu strategy calls with his brother and his staff. It later was revealed that he used his media sources to reveal more about the identities of his brother’s accusers. Chris was also in contact with his brother’s top staffers about these little cover operations as well. Gov. Cuomo was eventually forced to resign and later charged concerning one groping allegation. So, how was this guy able to stick around? The first slew of unethical activities was bad enough, but the witch hunt that followed was the straw the broke the camel’s back. It fits, but it’s crap. Chris was able to stick around because Jeff Zucker protected him. Just another day in the liberal media world (via WSJ):
CNN President Jeff Zucker stood by Chris Cuomo last spring after revelations that the star anchor had helped his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, navigate a sexual-harassment scandal.
In a virtual town hall with staffers in May, he conceded that Chris Cuomo had “made a mistake,” but also said he wasn’t surprised that the anchor discussed the matter with his brother. Mr. Zucker said suspending Chris Cuomo would be “punishment for the sake of punishing.”
Everything changed this past week. New information surfaced—including detailed records from the New York attorney general’s office, a report from the law firm Cravath Swaine & Moore and an unrelated allegation of sexual misconduct—that sealed Chris Cuomo’s fate.
Mr. Zucker was taken by surprise by the attorney general’s report, and felt Mr. Cuomo misled him, according to people familiar with the situation. On Saturday he completed a U-turn, firing Mr. Cuomo on a call, one of the people said.
Mr. Cuomo has apologized for advising his brother, who was embroiled in a significant story CNN was covering. A spokesman for Mr. Cuomo said in a text message on Sunday: “Mr. Cuomo has the highest level of admiration and respect for Mr. Zucker. They were widely known to be extremely close and in regular contact, including about the details of Mr. Cuomo’s support for his brother. There were no secrets about this, as other individuals besides Mr. Cuomo can attest.”
[…]
Staffers at CNN have been surprised by the network’s handling of the controversy from the beginning. When the revelations first surfaced, some employees were taken aback that there wasn’t disciplinary action, people inside the network said. After Mr. Zucker publicly defended Mr. Cuomo for months, some staffers figured the anchor would survive any fallout, and were equally surprised that Mr. Zucker reversed his position, the people said. Some on-air and behind-the-scenes staffers had said Mr. Cuomo could be back on air in January.
What a mess, but this is CNN. Let’s not forget that Don Lemon has been the subject of a serious sexual harassment claim as well. It’s going to trial. I mean, even staffers at this insufferably liberal network thought something should happen to Chris Cuomo. Initially, it was reported that Chris would return to the anchor’s chair in January. Luckily, that’s not happening.
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