Photo courtesy of CNN.
Don Lemon defended his colleague Chris Cuomo amidst accusations Cuomo used his media contacts to dig up dirt on the women accusing his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, of sexual harassment.
Lemon had nothing but nice things to say to his colleague when the two journalists’ CNN shows, Don Lemon Tonight
and Cuomo Prime Time, aired on Nov. 29.The two anchors usually conversed nightly as one show ended and the next began, and Lemon told Cuomo that he was happy to see him.
He also said that he was grateful for Cuomo’s love and friendship while noting that Cuomo was one of the kindest people he knew.
“It is good to see you, I know you had a great Thanksgiving, I hope that you did,” said Lemon. “I missed you, I am grateful for your friendship and your love, I think that you are fantastic. You are one of the kindest people I know on this planet, there you go, I meant every word.”
At the beginning of his show the same evening, Cuomo gave a statement and said that he would not be covering his brother’s sexual harassment case due to his connection to the former governor.
“Before we start tonight let me say something that is very obvious to you who watch my show. Thank you for that, you are straight with me, I will be straight with you,” said Cuomo. “Obviously I am aware of what is going on with my brother and obviously I cannot cover it because he is my brother. Now, of course, CNN has to cover it, they have covered it extensively and they will continue to do so.”
Cuomo is accused of using his position at CNN to dig up dirt on his brother’s accusers. He allegedly shared the information he received with staffers. Cuomo reportedly used his work to pressure sources on the case for information about the accusers and helped his brother’s staff with press statements.
Critics called Cuomo out for his alleged misconduct regarding his brother’s sexual harassment case.
A criminal complaint was filed on Oct. 28 at an Albany City Court against the former governor. Cuomo resigned in August after an investigation found that he had sexually harassed 11 women.
Chris Cuomo was suspended from CNN on Nov. 30 after the network received backlash over Cuomo’s involvement.
“When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother’s staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly,” said a statement from CNN. “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.”