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Did Chris Cuomo threaten ex-boss Jeff Zucker? CNN slams 'patently false' accusations

'Looks like Chris Cuomo is going to start exposing CNN as payback... He just threw CNN President Jeff Zucker under the bus,' said one Twitter user

In what appeared to be a veiled threat of an impending lawsuit, fired CNN anchor Chris Cuomo accused his former boss, the network's president Jeff Zucker, of knowing all about the texts he sent in an effort to help out his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in countering allegations of sexual harassment.

A spokesman for Chris told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, December 5, "Mr Cuomo has the highest level of admiration and respect for Mr Zucker. They were widely known to be extremely close and in regular contact, including about the details of Mr. Cuomo's support for his brother. There were no secrets about this, as other individuals besides Mr Cuomo can attest."

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In response to Chris' claims that Zucker knew about his support for his brother, CNN said in a written statement that the network disagreed with their former anchor's characterization of events. "He has made a number of accusations that are patently false," the network said. "This reinforces why he was terminated for violating our standards and practices, as well as his lack of candor."

Did Chris Cuomo sexually harass co-worker?

Zucker has more than one reason to have Chirs sacked. Apart from lending a hand in helping his brother, Chris was also accused of sexually harassing a former co-worker at ABC. This piece of information is believed to have been the final straw that led to his firing. The unnamed woman's lawyer, Debra Katz, told CNN executives about the allegations, after which, the swift decision to fire Chris was taken by the network. Katz also happens to represent one of Andrew Cuomo's accusers, Charlotte Bennett.  

A source told the New York Post: "From a legal standpoint, CNN had cause to fire Chris on Friday based on the Letitia James information. From a practical standpoint, when the sexual-misconduct claim came in, CNN decided, 'Enough is enough.'" The 51-year-old was fired four days after Zucker took him off the air and announced his "indefinite suspension."

'Go on Tucker's show'

The fact that Chris subtly threatened his former boss became the butt of jokes on Twitter. "CNN should expect no less from Chris or anyone else at CNN. It's not like CNN have honest journalist working for them. Chris rats out Jeff Zucker," one of them said, while another noted, "@ChrisCuomo Hey Chris! If you’re Fredo and Zucker is Michael, you’re screwed!" A third noted, "Just like a coward backed into a corner. Sing like a bird." The next remarked, "And here begins let’s throw everyone under the bus. The entire network has covered up so much. Jeff Zucker covers up many things… #CNN #CuomoCrimeFamily #ChrisCuomo."

One more added, "Looks like Chris Cuomo is going to start exposing CNN as payback for his firing. He just threw CNN President Jeff Zucker under the bus, suggesting that his boss knew all about his involvement in trying to quash his governor brother’s sex scandal. This could be fun." Another quipped, "Hey Chris, you know what you should do! Go on Tucker's show and throw CNN and Jeff Zucker under the bus." A commenter tweeted, "Can’t wait for him to turn on don lemmon lol." One more said, "The Morning Show has taught me this is probably true." A person reacted with, "My my look how fast the animals will turn on each other - Wake Up."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.