A newly-released batch of exhibits and transcripts from the investigation into former Gov. Andrew Cuomo include a series of new revelations about CNN host Chris Cuomo.

The texts and transcript show the larger-than-known extent to which the CNN host advised his brother and appeared to run interference for him.

Among the shocking new details, Chris told the governor’s staff that a friend of his appealed to actor Alec Baldwin to record a rant on Instagram against “cancel culture,” which was purportedly meant to be a defense of Andrew Cuomo.

‘My friend asked him to do it,’ Chris wrote, in a text to Andrew’s former top aide Melissa DeRosa. ‘Very close to him.’

In testimony for the investigation, the CNN host claimed that he, through the friend, implored Baldwin not to get involved.

I know Alec Baldwin. So does Andrew. I have a very good friend who is named here, who called me said, “Alec wants to talk about cancel culture or political correctness.” I asked him not to. I said, “Tell him to stay out of it. It’s not necessary.” He said, “Well, he’s going to do it. And I think it’s a good idea for him to do it. He wants to talk about these things.”

The conversation with DeRosa on Baldwin was just one of the notable exchanges between Chris Cuomo and Andrew’s former top aide. The batch of messages shows that Cuomo suggested damage control statements for the then-governor.

“Please let me help with the prep,” Cuomo told DeRosa.

A March 9 report by the Albany Times-Union about which broke news of Andrew Cuomo’s 6th accuser set off a dispute between Chris Cuomo and DeRosa.

“Why didnt you tell him abt potential ATU intv with 6?” Chris wrote.

“I asked u not to say anything until I talked to him,” DeRosa replied.

“That was a day ago,” Cuomo shot back. “Stop hiding shit.”

Additionally, Chris Cuomo admitted that he asked other journalists whether there might be more accusers coming forward against his brother. DeRosa, in one text, told Cuomo of a “Rumor going around from politico 1-2 more ppl coming out tomorrow.”

“Can u check your sources?” DeRosa asked the CNN host.

Chris Cuomo replied “on it,” and then, approximately 40 minutes later, wrote back “No one has heard that yet.”

On March 9, DeRosa asked Chris Cuomo to inquire about the status of a report that she believed The New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow was ready to publish. Four days later, Cuomo wrote back, “If ronan has nothing better than [former Andrew Cuomo aide and accuser Lindsay] boylan, thats a great sign.”

He also encouraged DeRosa to tighten the former governor’s circle — lobbying to be included along with former Pete Buttigieg campaign manager Lis Smith and public relations specialist Jeffrey Pollock.

“You need to trust me lis and jeff more,” the CNN host wrote. “Not these other people. We are making mistakes we cant afford.”

Cuomo was asked by one of the investigators, Jennifer Kennedy Park, “Did you reach out to anyone…to find out if there might be any other complainants?”

Cuomo answered “yes,” and when Park asked whom, he said “I would reach out to sources, other journalists, to see if they had heard of anybody else coming out.”

The New York attorney general previously revealed that Chris Cuomo participated in strategy calls with his brother and urged him not to resign. In an August statement, the CNN host said on the air that “I did urge my brother to resign when the time came.”

These were Chris Cuomo’s comments the last time he addressed his role in Andrew’s scandal in-depth on August 16.

I never covered my brother’s troubles because I obviously have a conflict, and there are rules at CNN about that. 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 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. And as you know, back in May when I was told to no longer communicate with my brother’s aides in any group meetings, I acknowledged it was a mistake, I apologized to my colleagues, 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.

Ken Meyer contributed to this report.

The post Shocking New Details Emerge from Cuomo’s Private Texts: From Running Interference to an Appeal to Alec Baldwin first appeared on Mediaite.

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