NEW YORK -- CNN indefinitely suspended anchor Chris Cuomo on Tuesday after details emerged about how he helped his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, contend with charges of sexual harassment this year.
The network said documents released by New York's attorney general Monday indicated that Cuomo had more involvement in his brother's efforts than CNN executives knew.
"As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation," the network said.
The CNN anchor pressed sources for information on his brother's accusers and reported back to the governor's staff, and was active in helping craft their response to the charges, according to emails and a transcript of his testimony to investigators working for state Attorney General Letitia James.
Her office found that Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women.
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Chris Cuomo previously acknowledged talking to his brother and offering advice. But the information released Monday revealed far more details about what Chris Cuomo did. Andrew Cuomo resigned in August to avoid a likely impeachment trial.
Chris Cuomo's program, which airs at 8 p.m. weeknights, averaged 1.3 million viewers, narrowly outpacing Anderson Cooper as CNN's most popular show, according to the Nielsen company. Like many cable newscasts, viewership is down significantly after being swollen during the election year.
Chris Cuomo appeared on his program Monday night, talking about covid-19 and politics without mentioning his own issues.
There was no immediate response to a request for comment sent to him and the lawyer who represented him during this summer's testimony.
During the first two months of the pandemic, Chris Cuomo interviewed his brother on the air a number of times. It was a hit with viewers, although it violated CNN's policy of not having Cuomo report on his brother, and it was a programming decision that has grown worse with time and additional revelations.
Chris Cuomo frequently consulted with his brother's aides when the governor was fighting the charges in May, sometimes disagreeing with their advice.
"This is my brother, and I'm trying to help my brother through a situation where he told me he did nothing wrong," Chris Cuomo testified in July to investigators with the attorney general's office.
He has said he did nothing to influence his network's coverage of the story.
Chris Cuomo also said he reached out to other journalists to find out whether they were writing stories about his brother, most notably seeking information on what Ronan Farrow of the New Yorker was writing. He acknowledged that he didn't tell CNN he was doing this and characterized his actions as nothing out of the ordinary for a journalist.
Critics had called on CNN to take action after the attorney general's release, with David Graham of The Atlantic saying Chris Cuomo should resign -- or be fired by CNN if he didn't.
After it was first revealed in May by The Washington Post that Chris Cuomo had consulted with his brother's aides, CNN released a statement saying that his actions were inappropriate, but it did not discipline him.
Chris Cuomo, a lawyer, is 13 years younger than Andrew Cuomo, who he has described as his best friend. They are the sons of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, who was in office from 1982-96.
He worked for several years at ABC News, joining CNN in 2013 as co-host of the network's morning show.