Chris Cuomo Makes A Bold Claim About CNN Boss Jeff Zucker
The Chris Cuomo saga just went a little deeper. The former CNN anchor was fired on December 4 after aiding his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, by crafting his defense during a sexual harassment scandal with his journalism connections. CNN wrote a statement and released it on December 5, stating, "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." CNN added, "While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light, despite the termination, we will investigate as appropriate."
Even though CNN claims to be investigating the information given to them, they might not need to look too far to understand what happened. According to Chris, former CNN boss Jeff Zucker might know a little more about the situation than he's letting on.
Chris Cuomo claimed 'there were no secrets about this'
A spokesperson for Chris Cuomo put out a statement on December 5 claiming that the president of CNN, Jeff Zucker, threw Cuomo under the bus. However, he did insist that Cuomo still "has the highest level of admiration and respect" for him. "They were widely known to be extremely close and in regular contact, including about the details of Mr. Cuomo's support for his brother," the spokesman told The Wall Street Journal. "There were no secrets about this, as other individuals besides Mr. Cuomo can attest."
However, CNN begged to differ and decided to also put out a statement, contradicting Cuomo's statement. "He has made a number of accusations that are patently false," CNN told the outlet. "This reinforces why he was terminated for violating our standards and practices, as well as his lack of candor."
Not only are Cuomo and the network not seeing eye-to-eye on this situation, but Cuomo might also turn up the heat and sue CNN, if they don't pay the rest of his $18 million contract, according to the New York Post. But CNN is prepared for a ugly battle, according to two insiders. CNN has "no intention of paying [Chris] Cuomo a penny," the insider said."If he gets a settlement, there would be uproar." The other source said, "CNN has a standard morality clause in their contract that says if the employee does anything of disrepute, they can be immediately fired."