Brian Stelter made his network look even worse last night in a pathetic attempt to defend CNN host Chris Cuomo. CNN’s media correspondent and Reliable Sources host went on The Late Show to spin for Cuomo advising his scandal-embroiled governor brother, but even far-left host Stephen Colbert wouldn’t let him get away with it.
The interview started off awkward and just got worse as it went on. Discussing Andrew Cuomo’s resignation announcement earlier that day, Stelter admitted he didn’t watch it. Colbert was flabbergasted.
“Wait a second, wait a second, wait a second. He’s about to give a speech and you went, ‘Time to hit the hay?’” he mocked. Stelter tried to make a joke at President Trump’s expense, saying he thought Cuomo would be dragged out rather than resign. Remarkably, Colbert turned it back to another Democrat who refused to resign after scandal:
“He was going to Ralph Northam this one?” he asked. Shortly after this, the late-night host held Stelter’s feet to the fire over Chris Cuomo:
[I]t had been alleged alleged that he was helping his brother with his, you know his communications team, The New York Times is reporting that’s true. Chris was helping his brother. Has that created any conflict over at CNN? Behind closed doors, are people mad at him or is he in trouble?
As Stelter bragged that he could confirm “his source” verified the Times report, Colbert mocked CNN’s standards of journalistic ethics, or lack thereof:
STELTER: Some people are mad at him. By the way I can confirm the New York Times report. I’ll confirm it for your viewers. I also have a source that says Chris was on the phone with his brother this week.
COLBERT: Is your source Chris Cuomo?
STELTER: He is not. He is not. You've got to have boundaries, you’ve got to draw lines.
COLBERT: Why, he doesn’t! [audience reacts]
STELTER: I think he does, actually.
COLBERT: Really?
STELTER: I think Chris does, I don’t know about the governor.
COLBERT: What are the boundaries? What are the boundaries?
Stelter laid blame on CNN’s “management” which he touted condemned Chris for advising his brother over his sexual harassment scandal and told him to not report on his brother.
Colbert wasn’t buying the excuses: “Why didn't they rule that way when his brother was on the show pretty much every night during COVID? Seems like an odd conflict of rules.” Stelter again scrambled to stick up for his network: “It is an odd conflict, but I think if we open up the journalism ethics book, there's no page for this.”
Colbert let the CNN host finish spinning for his network on this desperate note. “Overall, I think what was most important, was that we cover the story on air just the same as any other story. Ultimately, isn't that what matters?” Stelter said with a shrug.
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Read the relevant transcript below:
The Late Show
8/11/21
COLBERT: My understanding is most CNN anchors get their news from the The Late show with Stephen Colbert. You guys just repackage what I do. ( Cheers and applause ) ( Piano riff ) Now in a small way, your network is involved in the story because of course the governor's brother Chris Cuomo has his show "The Cuomo Zone "-- .
STELTER: Is that what it's called?
COLBERT: I don't know what it's called.
STELTER: "Cuomo Prime Time."
COLBERT: Cuomo Prime Time? "360 Cuomos." ( Laughter ) And the "New York Times" has just reported, because it had ben alleged alleged that he was helping his brother with his, you know his communications team. The New york Times is reporting that’s true. Chris was helping his brother. Has that created any conflict over at CNN? Behind closed doors, are people mad at him or is he in trouble?
STELTER: Some people are mad at him. By the way I can confirm the "New York Times" report. I’ll confirm it for your viewers. I also have a source that says Chris was on the phone with his brother this week.
COLBERT: Is your source Chris Cuomo?
STELTER: He is not. He is not. You've got to have boundaries, you’ve got to draw lines.
COLBERT: Why, he doesn’t! [audience reacts]
STELTER: I think he does, actually.
COLBERT: Really?
STELTER: I think Chris does, I don’t know about the governor.
COLBERT: What are the boundaries? What are the boundaries?
STELTER: The boundary that CNN management presented him in May when he admitted he screwed up, ‘What you did was inappropriate. You're on the phone with your brother's aides advising him what to do. And that was inappropriate.’ But they said, ‘of course you’re going to talk to your brother, you know there’s nothing more important--’
COLBERT: They didn't talk about his brother once the trouble started.
STELTER: That was also a management ruling.
COLBERT: Why didn't they rule that way when his brother was on the show pretty much every night during COVID? Seems like an odd conflict of rules.
STELTER: It is an odd conflict, but I think if we open up the journalism ethics book, there's no page for this. It's the crazy set of circumstances you can imagine right? Agovernor and brother both in these high-profile jobs, this was definitely awkward for CNN though. I tried to go into this thinking, Ok, if I was going to cover this at CBS how would I cover it?and try to cover it the same way.
I talked to a lot of sources at CNN and some said ‘This is really weird, I’m ticked off at Chris, others said ‘I understand, you can't pick your family members are’. So there was a wide range of opinions. Overall, I think what was most important, was that we cover the story on air just the same as any other story. Ultimately, isn't that what matters?
