CNN Chris Cuomo Transcript: “I Did Urge My Brother to Resign”

Chris Cuomo: (00:00)
My brother, as you know, resigned as Governor of New York and will be stepping down next week. There are a lot of people feeling a lot of hurt and a lot of pain right now. And my hope is that ultimately, everyone involved can get to a better place, that some higher good will be served in all of this. As for me, I’ve told you, it’s never easy being in this business and coming from a political family, especially now. This situation is unlike anything I could have imagined. And yet, I know what matters at work and at home. Everyone knows you support your family. I know and appreciate that you get that, but you should also know I never covered my brother’s troubles because I obviously have a conflict. And there are rules at CNN about that.

Chris Cuomo: (00:51)
I said last year that his appearances on this show would be short-lived. And they were. The last was over a year ago, long before any kind of scandal. I also said back then that a day would come when he would have to be held to account. And I can’t do that. 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. I’m not an advisor, I’m a brother. I wasn’t in control of anything. I was there to listen and offer my take. And my advice to my brother was simple and consistent. Own what you did, tell people what you’ll do to be better, be contrite, and finally accept that it doesn’t matter what you intended, what matters is how your actions and words were perceived.

Chris Cuomo: (01:45)
And yes, while it was something I never imagined ever having to do, I did urge my brother to resign when the time came. There are stories and critics saying all kinds of things about me, many unsupported, but know this, my position has never changed. 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.

Chris Cuomo: (02:26)
And as you know, back in May, when I was told to no longer communicate with my brother’s aids in any group meetings, I acknowledged it was a mistake. I apologize to my colleagues and I stopped. And I meant it. It was a unique situation being a brother to a politician in a scandal and being part of the media. I tried to do the right thing. And I just want you all to know that. 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.