Trump says Chris Cuomo's suspension from CNN is 'great news for television viewers' and calls him 'Fredo' again
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- CNN's Chris Cuomo was suspended indefinitely from the network Tuesday in light of new transcripts from the NY AG.
- The transcripts showed that Cuomo used media resources to help his brother Andrew Cuomo.
- Former President Trump said Cuomo's suspension was "great news for television viewers."
Former President Donald Trump responded to CNN anchor Chris Cuomo's indefinite suspension from the network, saying it was "great news for television viewers."
Cuomo was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday after new transcripts released by New York Attorney General Letitia James revealed the extent of his assistance to his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, amid sexual harassment allegations made against him.
The new transcripts showed Chris Cuomo using media resources to help his brother during his sexual harassment scandal, Insider previously reported.
"The big question is, was it because of his horrendous ratings, which in all fairness have permeated CNN and MSDNC, or was it because his brother is no longer Governor?" Trump wrote in a statement. "Probably both."
Andrew Cuomo resigned in August following multiple women coming forward alleging sexual misconduct.
Trump also referred to Cuomo as "Fredo," a character from "The Godfather" who many describe as "weak." Trump previously used the term to describe the CNN anchor, which the CNN anchor compared to the n-word.
The Cuomo brothers have been openly critical of Trump during his presidency.
In November 2020, after Trump called Chris Cuomo "Fredo," Andrew condemned the remark in an interview on "The Howard Stern Show."
"If I wasn't governor of New York, I would have decked him. Period," the former governor said at the time. "I mean, he was attacking me, he was attacking my family, he was anti-Italian. Every nasty thing."
Chris Cuomo has also slammed the former president in public statements, calling Trump "the worst president ever." He previously interviewed the former president's niece, Mary Trump, who has also been a vocal critic of her uncle — including writing two bombshell books about him and the rest of the Trump clan.
When CNN announced Chris Cuomo's suspension Tuesday, they said they were not aware of the primetime anchor's scope of participation in his brother's scandal.
"When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother's staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly," a CNN spokesperson said in a statement. "But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put his family first and job second."
"However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother's efforts that we previously knew," the spokesperson continued.
Representatives for Trump, Chris Cuomo, Andrew Cuomo, and CNN respectively did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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