On Tuesday, freelance journalist Laura Bassett wrote for MSNBC that CNN host Chris Cuomo “should resign from covering politics or be fired” over advising his brother, New York Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo, over his response to the sexual harassment charges against him.
The left-wing eating of its own in the call to rid CNN of its “Prime Time” host came after New York Attorney General Letitia James revealed the findings of her investigation where she went into numerous instances of Governor Cuomo sexually harassing women who work for him and some who don’t. The bombshell report also outed his little brother, Fredo, who worked behind the scenes to help his brother on how to get out in front of the allegations. What a scumbag.
“Given this information, Andrew Cuomo should resign immediately or be impeached,” Bassett wrote. “His brother, too, should resign from covering politics or be fired. It’s extremely inappropriate and unethical for a journalist to advise and craft the statements of a politician, regardless of family relation.”
If you ever wondered why MSNBC’s Chris Matthews practically sprinted for the exit doors last year, it was because of Bassett’s complaints about his sexist language toward her. Good riddance.
Chris Cuomo, back in May, admitted that he gave advice to his brother when a Washington Post story came out about his unethical involvement. The younger Cuomo called it a “mistake” and he apologized on the air while at the same time he lied when he denied he was trying to influence CNN’s coverage of the story of his brother being accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and worse.
The journalist mentioned some past instances when Fredo had no problem whatsoever covering up for his brother, the governor of New York.
“Chris Cuomo has interviewed his brother on CNN multiple times about the elder Cuomo’s coronavirus response, as scores of New Yorkers were dying in a pandemic; Albany is part of his beat,” Bassett wrote. “In one interview, Chris Cuomo told Andrew Cuomo he is ‘the best politician in the country.’”
Then there were the times he brought his big brother onto the show to try to soften up his public persona. I remember Fredo asking Andrew then why did you come on my show, to which Andrew replied, “Because Mom told me I had to.”
Another time Chris talked to his brother on the show about getting COVID-19 tested using nasal swabs, and he produced a prop of a giant nasal swab to rib his older brother about having a big nose. Those antics were done to make the governor look like a nice guy who would never sexually harass.
WATCH:
“The anchor’s attempt at a journalistic compromise was to abstain from interviewing his brother about the sexual harassment scandal. But both men’s careers have benefited greatly from their cheeky, high-profile, softball interviews during a very dark time in the nation’s history,” Bassett added. “And viewers were largely unaware of the role Chris Cuomo was playing to help his brother behind the scenes.”
Bassett pointed out how real reporting by real journalists of the governor during the darkest period of COVID for The Empire State could have been a “game changer” when it came to the nursing home scandal. Cuomo’s administration admitted that they covered up thousands of COVID deaths among elderly patients at nursing homes because the governor forced COVID patients into nursing homes without adequate protection for the seniors living there. His team said they covered it up because they were afraid the federal government would come down on them for the high number of deaths caused by the bad policy.
“New Yorkers deserve better than a lying, harassing, misogynistic creep presiding over the state. And CNN’s viewers deserve better than a news anchor who is working on behalf of a politician he covers and helps to manipulate public opinion of him,” she wrote. “Both Cuomo brothers have amassed massive power and influence, while betraying public trust. And both brothers must go.”
I was horrified to see that the nursing home scandal didn’t get the headlines that it deserved and didn’t come close to becoming a story that would find urgency for the governor having to resign from office, but the #MeToo sexual harassment scandal did. I think our priorities are pretty messed up when sexual harassment while being a horrible crime in itself is considered a bigger headline grabber than thousands of innocent people dying.
