CNN Terminates Chris Cuomo ‘Effective Immediately’: “We retained a respected law firm to conduct the review, and have terminated him, effective immediately”
CNN just announced that anchor Chris Cuomo has been “terminated” by the network, “effective immediately.” Cuomo had been suspended for lying to the network and his viewers about the extent he went to help his disgraced brother Andrew.
CNN said in a statement: “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.”
From CNN:
Cuomo initially declined to comment. He said on his radio show on Wednesday that the suspension was “embarrassing” but understandable. He also said he never wanted to “compromise any of my colleagues” and said he would respect the process.
According to Saturday’s announcement, the process included an outside law firm, a fact that was not previously known.
With information in the texts and documents pointing to a serious breach of CNN standards, Cuomo was notified of his termination on Saturday.
Newly unsealed documents showed Cuomo playing a far more active role than he acknowledged to the network of the viewers. According to the documents, Cuomo said:
“I would — when asked, I would reach out to sources, other journalists, to see if they had heard of anybody else coming out.
“I was frequently in contact when we would hear word that there were other people coming out. Or there was more to be learned about somebody, I would talk to other journalists to hear what they had heard.
“I called a fellow journalist who works with Ronan a lot. And I didn’t want to contact Ronan directly. I know him.
“He’s — he’s been good to me. He’s been on my show. But I didn’t want to — I didn’t want to push up on him like that. It’s not right.
“The concern was that Ronan always has more people. You know, I mean, that’s part of his currency as a journalist, is that people come to him to expand understandings.
“I know he has his critics. But, to me, that’s when he’s at his best.
“So the assumption was he must have new people if he’s waiting so long to have written about this.
“And then he didn’t. So, what the context is specifically is: I had heard that all he was writing, the only person he was writing about was Lindsey Boylan.
“I wasn’t going to call Ronan Farrow. I wasn’t going to try to influence any of the stories. And we know that that’s true because you would have read about it had I.
“It’s not exactly a loyalty-based business.
“If I had tried to influence any of the reporting at CNN or anywhere else, I guarantee you you people would know, and so would a lot of others.
“So the idea of one reporter calling another to find out about what’s coming down the pipe is completely business-as-usual,” he said.
Statement on Chris Cuomo’s termination from CNN. pic.twitter.com/yKPwYtMznD
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) December 4, 2021
CNN: "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."
— Jeremy Barr (@jeremymbarr) December 4, 2021