CNN's Chris Cuomo breaks silence on brother Andrew, says he 'obviously ... cannot cover' harassment claims

CNN's Chris Cuomo acknowledged the elephant in the room at the top of his prime-time show Monday, saying he knows "what is going on" with his older brother, Democrat New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but could not cover it due to his conflict of interest.

"You're straight with me. I'll be straight with you," the "Cuomo Prime Time" host said. "Obviously I'm aware of what is going on with my brother. And obviously I cannot cover it because he is my brother. Now, of course, CNN has to cover it. They have covered it extensively and they will continue to do so."

Cuomo hit the airwaves moments after The New York Times published a report that a third woman had accused the governor of making inappropriate advances toward her at a 2019 wedding reception. 

Last week, two former aides accused Cuomo of sexual harassment during their time in his administration.

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As CNN's left-wing media reporter Brian Stelter pointed out on Twitter, Chris Cuomo was quick to add that he had "always cared very deeply about these issues, and profoundly so," presumably referring to the harassment allegations.

In addition, the governor is facing accusations of covering up coronavirus nursing home deaths to avoid a federal investigation.

Chris Cuomo's statement was especially jarring after he was allowed to conduct chummy interviews of his older brother last year at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic. Only in recent weeks have mainstream outlets criticized CNN for allowing Cuomo to joke with his brother during a crisis.

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Cuomo's statement that he "obviously" could not cover his brother now seemed tantamount to an admission that their on-air comedy routines, during which he called his brother the "Love Gov" and admitted he could not be objective, were inappropriate.

"There's a lot of news going on that matters also, so let's get after that," Chris Cuomo said to conclude his statement before turning to former President Donald Trump's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

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The governor's political turmoil has created an awkward situation at CNN, as it was recently forced to announce it had reinstated a ban on the younger Cuomo covering or interviewing his older brother.

CNN has given the sexual harassment accusations against Cuomo more attention over the past week, but it was one of the leading networks in building up the governor as a top leader against coronavirus in 2020.