Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) escalated her feud with the Cuomo brothers on Tuesday, calling for CNN to immediately fire anchor Chris Cuomo in the wake of new documents that show the extensive behind-the-scenes work he did to help former New York governor Andrew Cuomo fight sexual harassment allegations.
"Chris Cuomo should be fired immediately," Stefanik said. "There does not need to be a review. The documents that were part of the attorney general’s investigation were quite clear—he is complicit in the criminal, corrupt behavior of the man I dubbed the worst governor in America. ... Shame on CNN for not making that decision immediately."
After a "thorough review" of the documents released by New York’s Democratic attorney general that show Chris Cuomo conspiring with his brother's aides to discredit accusers, CNN announced Tuesday evening that it is placing Cuomo on indefinite suspension. The documents show the CNN anchor was much more involved in his brother's political decision-making than was previously known.
Stefanik has long been one of Andrew Cuomo’s fiercest critics. She was the first federal lawmaker to call on her fellow New Yorker to resign in the wake of multiple scandals. Days before Cuomo stepped down in August, Stefanik also pushed for ActBlue—the Democratic Party’s fundraising platform—to remove Cuomo, a "confirmed criminal sex predator."
Stefanik pointed the finger at others in the media for abetting former governor Cuomo’s "corrupt, criminal enterprise." She singled out MSNBC anchor Katy Tur, who according to the legal documents delivered the Cuomo team's spin "verbatim" at the height of the sexual harassment scandal.