Chris Cuomo advised his brother to resign: report

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo advised his older brother, outgoing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), to resign, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

Two people familiar with the matter told the Times that while Chris Cuomo has been off the air for a planned birthday vacation, he has been on the phone with his brother regularly, eventually advising him to resign. The CNN anchor reportedly came to the conclusion that the governor would not be able to survive this latest political scandal.

Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced that he would be formally leaving office in two weeks after a report from the New York attorney general’s office found that he had sexually harassed multiple women and broken state and federal laws.

The governor said he was leaving so he would not be a distraction to the state’s government rather than because of the allegations made against him.

“I think, given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing,” he said.

The younger Cuomo and CNN both faced criticism earlier this year after it was reported that he had advised his brother on how to handle the sexual misconduct allegation when they first came to light. CNN later said that it was “inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governor’s staff, which Chris acknowledges.”

CNN President Jeff Zucker reportedly said during a meeting afterward that Chris Cuomo had “made a mistake” and acknowledged that he did “cross the line.”

“I understand why that was a problem for CNN. It will not happen again,” the anchor said when apologizing for advising his brother. “It was a mistake because I put my colleagues here, who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot. And I never intended for that. I would never intend for that. And I am sorry for that.”

The Hill has reached out to CNN and Andrew Cuomo’s office for comment.