CNN has been flouting journalistic ethics for weeks now as they allowed Chris “Fredo” Cuomo to interview his Democratic brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo almost weekly. Things came to a disgusting head during Wednesday’s edition of Cuomo PrimeTime when Chris thumbed his nose at bipartisan calls to investigate his brother’s disastrous mishandling of the outbreak in his state. Instead, he pulled out oversized, prop cotton swabs to mock how big his brother’s nose was.
Chris began the show by bashing President Trump. “Please join me tonight not spending any more time about this nonsense about the President refusing to acknowledge anything should have been done differently in the handling of the pandemic,” he chided. “Have you ever heard him take responsibility for any mistake?”
That set the stage for a huge dose of hypocrisy when he started to interview his brother.
As they were approaching the first commercial break, Chris drew attention to how his brother had a coronavirus test administered on him during his press conference earlier in the day (the same press conference where he deflected blame for putting COVID patients in nursing homes to President Trump).
“Now, a few questions about this process,” Chris said after playing the clip. “First of all, is it true that when you are having the test administered, you inhaled and the doctor's finger went all the way up your nose and got stuck and it had to be released with a tool? Is that true? Just to deal with the record?”
Then after comparing his brother’s nose to that of proboscis monkey, Chris proceeded to pull out prop cotton swabs that grew to ridiculous sizes that measured feet long (pictured above):
C. CUOMO: Of the nose. And that’s what -- I understand. [Pulls out cotton swab] This is the normal swab I'm holding up here now for everybody at home. A very valuable object. There's only one company in the entire country that makes these up in Maine. All right?
[Pulls out oversized, prop cotton swab] Is it true that this was the swab that the nurse was actually using on you, and that at first it went into your nose and disappeared, so, that in scale this [Pulls out giant, prop cotton swab] was the actual swab that was being used to fit up that double-barrel shotgun that you have mounted on the front of your pretty face?
This was the same show and the same network that insisted for months that Trump wasn’t taking the pandemic seriously and same with coronavirus testing. Meanwhile, Chris kept swapping between the two largest options and asking: “Was it this or was it this” and stuck the largest one right in the camera.
After Andrew boasted about how stoic he was while a nurse tested him, Chris continued to mock him. “Of course you were. That swab is like a piece of lint going in that thing in your face. How could it have collected anything? It was like throwing a rock around a cave,” he joked. “Was it this or was it this? Tell people the truth. Come on, Love Gov. Come on, which was it?”
“I thought there'd be a little transparency for the audience,” Chris jabbed as they finally went to the break. And throughout the rest of the interview, on the other side of the break, Chris repeatedly rubbed his head with his props, not taking any of their coronavirus discussion seriously.
If President Trump went on Fox News and had this kind of interview, CNN would be going ape about them being were “state TV” and host snide panels consisting of meltdowns.
But this was to be expected from the guy who flouted his quarantine and left his house. This is CNN.
Editor's Note: Want to comment on this post? Since NewsBusters no longer has a comments section, feel free to hop on Twitter and join the conversation there by engaging with the tweet below:
.@CNN's @ChrisCuomo thumbs his nose at accountability for his Dem brother, @NYGovCuomo, and plays with giant swabs https://t.co/wUC5Atokpu
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 21, 2020
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Cuomo PrimeTime
May 20, 2020
9:11:42 p.m. Eastern(…)
CHRIS CUOMO: Now, you had video come out -- before we go to break -- where you wanted to encourage people to get tested and some people are afraid it's going to hurt. So, you had video of it that I want to show the audience of you actually getting tested. Here it is. [Video of test being administered] There's you. You were kind of funny, and they were testing you.
Now, a few questions about this process. First of all, is it true that when you are having the test administered, you inhaled and the doctor's finger went all the way up your nose and got stuck and it had to be released with a tool? Is that true? Just to deal with the record?
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): No, she wanted to comment that I have a little button nose and she was afraid that the swab would actually hurt because it extended my nasal cavity.
C. CUOMO: The proboscis issue.
A. CUOMO: She was speaking about the delicacy of the nose.
C. CUOMO: Of the nose. And that’s what -- I understand. [Pulls out cotton swab] This is the normal swab I'm holding up here now for everybody at home. A very valuable object. There's only one company in the entire country that makes these up in Maine. All right?
[Pulls out oversized, prop cotton swab] Is it true that this was the swab that the nurse was actually using on you, and that at first it went into your nose and disappeared so that in scale this [Pulls out giant, prop cotton swab] was the actual swab that was being used to fit up that double-barrel shotgun that you have mounted on the front of your pretty face?
A. CUOMO: [Holding back laughter] See, I said I was going to be nice and sweet and cooperative –
C. CUOMO: I just want a yes, no.
A. CUOMO: -- I was trying --
C. CUOMO: Was it this or was it this?
A. CUOMO: -- I was trying very hard.
C. CUOMO: Look, which was it? [Points the giant swab up close to the camera]
A. CUOMO: You know, first, I thought I did so well on that nasal test standing up there. She did the swab, I did not flinch. I was a cool dude in a loose mood, didn't move.
C. CUOMO: [Holding up the various props] Of course you were. That swab is like a piece of lint going in that thing in your face. How could it have collected anything? It was like throwing a rock around a cave.
A. CUOMO: That is so not right.
C. CUOMO: Was it this or was it this? Tell people the truth. Come on, LoveGov. Come on, which was it?
A. CUOMO: This is not love. This is not love.
CUOMO: Listen, I just want to get -- I'm going to take a break because if you're not going to answer questions, I'm going to have to reset. I thought there'd be a little transparency for the audience. I’ll put it to them online. You know, this is the regular swab, this is what we’re told disappeared in the Governor’s nose, and then we were told this is what it took.
(…)
