Washington Post columnist blasts Cuomo brothers: 'Most responsible for trashing their careers'

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Chris Cuomo demanding millions over CNN firing

Fox News contributor Joe Concha on Chris Cuomo requesting $125 million from CNN over his firing and his attorney claiming that he was made a 'scape goat' for his brother.

Washington Post columnist Helaine Olen wrote Saturday that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his brother, former CNN primetime anchor, Chris Cuomo, "still don't know" what they did wrong and that they are the "most responsible for trashing their careers" after reports the former is attempting a political comeback, and the latter filed an arbitration suit against CNN seeking $125 million.

"They still don’t understand — or perhaps want to understand — what they did wrong," Olen said. "The people most responsible for trashing their careers? Themselves. Until Andrew and Chris Cuomo look in a mirror, their comeback tours are almost certainly doomed to failure."

Olen wrote that Andrew Cuomo "canceled himself" after stepping down as governor following several sexual assault allegations and an investigation. "And Chris Cuomo went down not because he was a 'scapegoat' for others, as he claims in his legal filing, but because of his own actions," she said, adding that the Cuomo brothers are attempting to "blame everyone but themselves." 

 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo arrives to depart in his helicopter after announcing his resignation in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., August 10, 2021. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs (REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs)

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Olen noted that Chris Cuomo had his brother on his show nine times in just three months at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She called the interviews "cringe-inducing, but popular" and questioned Chris Cuomo's "agency to say no" to Jeff Zucker and Allison Gollust, who he says were the ones demanding the brothers appear together on CNN's primetime slot. 

"As if he were not a prime-time anchor earning millions of dollars a year," she said. 

Olen also pointed to the former governor's nursing home order that said facilities had to accept patients who were recovering from COVID-19. His administration was also found to have undercounted COVID-related nursing home deaths. 

"This is not reliable, honest or ethical leadership. Andrew Cuomo — like his brother — shows no remorse," Olen wrote.

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In another column published Saturday, The Washington Post's media critic Erik Wemple similarly criticized the Cuomo brothers. He, too, noted the brothers' pandemic interviews in 2020, arguing that's when the "dysfunction" started. 

"If Cuomo’s reputation has already been injured, his arbitration demand itself may deepen the wounds," he wrote. 

CNN host Chris Cuomo asked his brother’s top aide if he could help prep the governor amid sexual misconduct allegations, according to a newly released transcript of her testimony to New York state investigators in July. (CNN)

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CNN fired Chris Cuomo in early December after an internal review found that he offered his brother advice on how to deal with the multiple sexual misconduct allegations levied against him. An investigation from the attorney general's office found that he sought out sources in the media to get leads on additional accusers. 

Chris Cuomo recently requested $125 million from CNN as he named Don Lemon, Brian Stelter and Jake Tapper in his arbitration demand. 

Jeff Zucker is considered to be the person responsible for the CNN’s shift away from the nonpartisan outlet it was before his tenure.  (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for WarnerMedia) (Getty Images)

Following Cuomo's firing, then-CNN President Jeff Zucker announced he was stepping down after it became known he did not disclose a "consensual" relationship with CNN executive Allison Gollust. Gollust announced her resignation from the liberal network shortly after. 

"Based on interviews of more than 40 individuals and a review of over 100,000 texts and emails, the investigation found violations of Company policies, including CNN's News Standards and Practices, by Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust, and Chris Cuomo," WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar wrote in a statement. 

Andrew Cuomo stepped down as governor in August 2021 following multiple sexual misconduct allegations.