OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Donald Trump has joined others in responding to the firing of former CNN primetime anchor Chris Cuomo, and that was before the news got worse for him.
There was not much love between Trump and the brothers Cuomo, Chris and his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who both left their jobs in disgrace.
And Trump celebrated the firing of the younger Cuomo during an appearance at his Mar-a-lago club in Florida on Saturday.
“CNN finally fired Fredo. He should have never had a job in the first place. I called him Fredo. Chris Cuomo. We fought. Now Fredo is fired,” the 45th President of the United States said.
Trump at Mar A Lago @TPUSA event right now:
“CNN finally fired Fredo. He should have never had a job in the first place. I called him Fredo. Chris Cuomo. We fought. Now Fredo is fired.” pic.twitter.com/BWXBWGaGa5
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) December 5, 2021
Chris Cuomo issued his own press release after CNN fired him saying this is not how he wanted his time at CNN to end.
“This is not how I want my time at CNN to end but I have already told you why and how I helped my brother. So let me now say as disappointing as this is, I could not be more proud of the team at Cuomo Prime Time and the work we did as CNN’s #1 show in the most competitive time slot. I owe them all and will miss that group of special people who did really important work,” he said.
— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) December 4, 2021
But in its own press release CNN said it had discovered new information about Cuomo that led to his firing.
“Chris Cuomo was suspended earlier this week pending further evaluation of new information that came to light about his involvement with his brother’s defense. We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately. While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light. Despite the termination, we will investigate as appropriate,” it said.
What was that new information? CNN did not say, but The New York Post reported that new sexual misconduct allegations have been levied against Chris Cuomo.
A former co-worker of Chris Cuomo made a sexual misconduct allegation against the former CNN anchor, who was fired Saturday for misleading the cable network about the extent of the role he played trying to mitigate the sexual harassment accusations that took down his brother, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
A well known employment lawyer who represents the accuser contacted CNN Wednesday to tell them of the allegation, according to The New York Times.
The disclosure came as an outside law firm was probing new documents released by New York’s top prosecutor Monday that suggested the younger Cuomo was more involved trying to control damage to his brother’s political career than he previously said.
The woman who leveled the unknown accusations against Chris Cuomo, 51, was a former “junior colleague” at another news network, according to Debra Katz, the accuser’s lawyer, the paper said. The allegation was reportedly not connected to the cascade of accusations that led Andrew Cuomo to resign from office in the face of impeachment four months ago.
“Based on the report we received regarding Chris’s conduct with his brother’s defense, we had cause to terminate,” CNN said to The Times. “When new allegations came to us this week, we took them seriously, and saw no reason to delay taking immediate action.”
It is not the first time Chris Cuomo was accused of sexual misconduct. In June his former ABC boss Shelley Ross accused him of sexually assaulting her.
“I was at the party with my husband, who sat behind me on an ottoman sipping his Diet Coke as I spoke with work friends. When Mr. Cuomo entered the Upper West Side bar, he walked toward me and greeted me with a strong bear hug while lowering one hand to firmly grab and squeeze the cheek of my buttock,” she said of an incident that occurred at a work party in 2005.
“’I can do this now that you’re no longer my boss,’ he said to me with a kind of cocky arrogance. ‘No you can’t,’ I said, pushing him off me at the chest while stepping back, revealing my husband, who had seen the entire episode at close range. We quickly left,” she said.
