Chris Cuomo Says He Understands ‘Embarrassing’ CNN Benching

Chris Cuomo said on his SiriusXM show, “Let’s Get After it With Chris Cuomo,” Wednesday that while his suspension from CNN is “embarrassing,” he understands why it was done.

“It’s embarrassing, but I understand it,” he told listeners. “And I understand why some people feel the way they do about what I did. I’ve apologized in the past and I mean it. The last thing I ever wanted to do was compromise any of my colleagues and do anything but help. “

Cuomo told his audio audience about the suspension at the top of the 12 p.m. E.T. show.

“Quick note, about the obvious. I’ve been suspended from CNN,” he said. “You know this already. It hurts to even say it.”

During his brief comments on the situation, Cuomo said he won’t be addressing the matter further for the time being because he respects CNN’s “process.”

On Monday, new documents from the New York Attorney General’s office revealed correspondence between the newsman and then-governor Andrew Cuomo’s team in which he asked to help them craft a response to sexual harassment accusations against his politician brother. Cuomo went as far as to say he was using his journalistic connections to get at least one “lead” on an accuser, as well as determine if further accusations or stories were coming down the pipeline. Previously, Cuomo’s involvement in his brother’s strategizing was known and he faced no repercussions from CNN, but the extent of that involvement was unknown.

Those revelations led CNN on Tuesday to suspend Cuomo indefinitely from the network and his primetime show.

“The New York Attorney General’s office released transcripts and exhibits Monday that shed new light on Chris Cuomo’s involvement in his brother’s defense,” a CNN spokesperson said Tuesday night. “The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions. When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother’s staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly. But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second. However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew. As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation.”