Well, if it isn't the consequences of his own actions.
CNN is reporting that the network has fired Chris Cuomo, effective immediately, based on the investigation of an outside lawfirm conducted since his suspension last Monday. Brian Stelter gave the details to Jim Acosta on air as the news broke.
STELTER: Yes, Chris Cuomo, one of the most popular anchors at CNN, one of the best known names in television news, violated journalistic ethics and norms not once or twice, but many times and that's ultimately what is the result of today's news, Jim. As you mentioned, Cuomo just terminated by CNN this afternoon, and here's the statement from management explaining the decision. Saying,
"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."
This is a big surprise for a lot of people....[W]e did know that Cuomo had been suspended, not for just a week, not in a way that's a fake suspension to take the pressure off CNN. This was a real suspension. He was put on the bench indefinitely while management conducted a review. What we didn't know until tonight is that an outside law firm also came in, and that the law firm went through the thousands of pages of text messages and sworn testimony that was released back on Monday.
So there was clearly something in those documents that was found to be a serious breach of standards and practices. Of course it was known months ago that Chris Cuomo was helping his brother, talking to his brother while his brother was trying to hold on to the governorship and defending himself amid sexual harassment allegations.
What we learned this week in those text messages and that sworn testimony was that he was basically acting like a staffer. He was like an unpaid staffer for the governor, and he was doing that while he was working for CNN.
There's one part of the statement we don't know anything about. Just to be completely transparent with the audience. It says there's additional information that also came to light sometime this week. We don't know what that is. I've asked. There's no answers coming on what that could be.
Acosta asked if the new information might eventually be made public, and if Stelter had an idea of what the information was. Stelter didn't know, and said it was unclear if any of us will know.
STELTER: This may be a situation, JIm, where it was death by a thousand cuts. Where there were just so many headaches time and time again involving Chris Cuomo that even though many viewers loved watching Cuomo Prime time, loved watching his show, he was causing so many headaches for the network and for CNN staffers that ultimately this decision was reached....This was always a very complicated situation. But I think the text messages and the documents this week, showing that he was very deeply involved, very cozy with the governor's office, very improperly working with the aides, that was ultimately why this decision was announced tonight.
You know, this all could have been avoided had Cuomo stepped away from his journalistic duties while he helped his brother, but then he couldn't have it all, could he?
