Chris Cuomo says "I never misled anyone" as he admits urging brother Andrew Cuomo to resign

The Daily Beast

The CNN host, who was on vacation last week when his older brother announced his resignation as New York's governor, waited until the end of his show Monday to confirm that he did advise his brother to resign, as had been reported. Calling his comments the "final word on it," Chris Cuomo told viewers: "I said point-blank, I can’t be objective when it comes to my family, so I never reported on the scandal and when it happened, I tried to be there for my brother.” Chris Cuomo described himself “not an adviser” but a “brother,” admitting that he had continued to offer advice to his brother, even confirming reports that he advised his brother to call it quits. “And yes, while it was something I never ever imagined having to do, I did urge my brother to resign when the time came,” Cuomo said. The CNN host then turned to his critics, saying: “I never misled anyone about the information I was delivering or not delivering on this program. I never attacked nor encouraged anyone to attack any woman who came forward. I never made calls to the press about my brother’s situation. I never influenced or attempted to control CNN’s coverage of my family.” He concluded by saying: “As I’ve said, we have rules here at CNN that prevent me from reporting on my brother. They remain in place and will continue to. Tonight, I simply wanted to address something that, given what’s happened, I just felt it needed to be said. This will be my final word on it, and I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to do so.”