Don Lemon under fire for allegedly tipping Jussie Smollett off and not mentioning it on air — and critics are drawing comparisons with Chris Cuomo



CNN has become the subject of controversy again this week after one of its anchors, Don Lemon, continued to provide coverage of the ongoing Jussie Smollett trial without mentioning his own involvement.

What are the details?

During his testimony in front of court Monday, Smollett testified that he had correspondence with Lemon during the early parts of the Chicago Police Department's investigation into a supposed racist and homophobic hate crime committed against him, Fox News reported.

The disgraced former "Empire" actor claimed he received a text from Lemon tipping him off that the Chicago police didn't trust his account of the events that night, in which Smollett claimed that two Trump supporters assaulted him.

That information was reportedly key in his decision to refuse to hand over his cell phone to investigators at the time, the New York Post added.

Several media outlets reported on the revelation as notable in the trial. Yet during CNN's Monday night coverage of the trial, neither Lemon nor network reporter Omar Jimenez said so much as a single word about it.

At 10-to-midnight, @DonLemon and @OmarJimenez finally discuss the Jussie Smollett trial. But neither "journalist" mentioned how Smollett testified under oath that Lemon tipped him off to police skepticism of his hoax claims. The whole segment lasted 5 minutes and 7 seconds.pic.twitter.com/fNpgiY9o3J
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@Nicholas Fondacaro) 1638853623

Lemon, who is also gay, previously acknowledged that he texted Smollett "every day" following the alleged attack to check in on the former actor and see how he was doing. But he never mentioned that those personal messages involved sharing important information about the case.

Smollett is accused of staging the attack to boost his acting career and is now facing six counts of felony disorderly conduct.

Why does it matter?

Lemon's silence about his role in the case amid his continued coverage of it immediately sparked comparisons between him and former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who was recently fired by the network for meddling in the sexual harassment scandal of his brother, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

CNN had been widely criticized for allowing Cuomo to continue reporting on the network amid his brother's scandal.

According to the Post, commenters on Twitter called Lemon a "crook" for not disclosing his involvement, adding that it was time for CNN to "bid him goodbye," as well.

"Did CNN’s Don Lemon Pull a Chris Cuomo?" asked one blogger.

New York Times best-selling author Tony Shaffer tweeted, "Really, @donlemon? Did you do for @JussieSmollett what @ChrisCuomo did for his sexual assaulting brother @andrewcuomo?"

"If CNN is to be impartial they need to suspend Lemon until further review," one commenter suggested, while another said, "CNN is a joke these are activists not reporters."

Anything else?

Lemon, like disgraced anchor Chris Cuomo, is also currently battling sexual assault allegations. On Monday, Lemon's accuser, Dustin Hice, blasted CNN as "a predator protecting machine."

"They’re a network rife with predators and perverts," he told Fox News. "Lemon will have to testify under oath in the near future, but it’s good to see that there’s finally some accountability happening."

Liberal media turn on CNN darling Chris Cuomo after bombshell report sheds light on cable host's shocking efforts to protect disgraced brother



Liberal journalists are quickly turning on Chris Cuomo and CNN, demanding to know why the popular anchor is still employed at the network amid new revelations that appear to show just how involved the CNN staple may have been in attempting to protect his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) from scandals — including lurid sexual harassment allegations.

What's the very brief history here?

A newly released testimony from the New York State Attorney General's Office shows that the CNN anchor worked tirelessly with his brother's handlers to stave off bad publicity from sexual misconduct allegations.

The report adds that he even leaned on media sources who dared speak on his brother's purported misgivings.

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday released transcripts and exhibits from the investigation into the former governor, which include — but are not limited to — the CNN anchor's sworn testimony to investigators in which he admitted to using media contacts to attain information about his brother's sexual harassment accusers, in addition influencing those in the media who were covering the ever-developing saga.

Despite reports, Cuomo in August insisted, "I never made calls to the press about my brother's situation."

In a statement on the newly released documents, a spokesperson for CNN told the Daily Mail said, "The thousands of pages of additional transcripts and exhibits that were released today by the NY Attorney General deserve a thorough review and consideration. We will be having conversations and seeking additional clarity about their significance as they relate to CNN over the next several days."

At the time of this writing, the CNN anchor has yet to issue any public statements on the new developments.

You can read more on the background of the scandal here.

What are people saying?

Rolling Stone ran a critical story on Monday titled, "Chris Cuomo Caught Doing Something That Would Get Any Other Journalist Fired."

Roling Stone editor-in-chief Noah Schachtman added, "If this story is accurate, it describes a series of shocking ethical breaches — fireable offenses at any other news outlet."

If this story is accurate, it describes a series of shocking ethical breaches \u2014 fireable offenses at any other news outlet.https://twitter.com/schwartzbCNBC/status/1465404508473864198\u00a0\u2026
— Noah Shachtman (@Noah Shachtman) 1638218630

Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple tweeted, "And this is why @CNN should have conducted an internal investigation of all @ChrisCuomo actions vis-a-vis his brother's scandals. That should have happened months ago."

And this is why @CNN should have conducted an internal investigation of all @chriscuomo actions vis-a-vis his brother's scandals. That should have happened months ago: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/09/cnn-must-investigate-chris-cuomo/\u00a0\u2026https://twitter.com/memeorandum/status/1465412969378971650\u00a0\u2026
— ErikWemple (@ErikWemple) 1638216837

"Just to be clear, if anyone else on CNN's roster did this, they'd not only be fired but blacklisted from journalism period," MSNBC columnist Eric Michael Garcia also insisted.

Just to be clear, if anyone else on CNN's roster did this, they'd not only be fired but blacklisted from journalism period.https://twitter.com/schwartzbCNBC/status/1465404508473864198\u00a0\u2026
— Eric Michael Garcia (@Eric Michael Garcia) 1638215286

New York Times columnist Jane Coaston appeared on "The View" on Tuesday, where she said, "This is a massive ethical breach. If you work at a news agency like I do, we do, you understand that there are just basic things like if you found out that an intern did this they'd be gone a second after these text messages came in. This is an abuse of power."

She added, "The only reason that Chris Cuomo was able to do any of this, get sources on some of [his brother's] accusers ... you see in these text messages how it is not just Chris Cuomo, to be clear. You see people talking about these accusers like they are just nuisances."

Co-host Joy Behar agreed, and said, "I understand the inclination to help your brother ... but you don’t use your position in the media to help him. Whether he should be fired, that’s for [CNN president] Jeff Zucker to decide. There’s a lot in this story that doesn’t feel right, although I do appreciate the Cuomo family very much."

Slate on Tuesday published an article titled "It's Time for CNN to Can Chris Cuomo for Being Full of Crap."

The Atlantic ran an article titled "Chris Cuomo Must Go."

Matt Pearce, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, added, "This is an embarrassment to journalism."

This is an embarrassment to journalism.https://twitter.com/schwartzbCNBC/status/1465404508473864198\u00a0\u2026
— Matt Pearce \ud83e\udd85 (@Matt Pearce \ud83e\udd85) 1638220210

Erin B. Logan, a reporter for the Times, chimed in, "[A]mazing that Chris Cuomo still has a cushy job at CNN after flagrantly violating journalistic ethics."

amazing that Chris Cuomo still has a cushy job at CNN after flagrantly violating journalistic ethicshttps://twitter.com/schwartzbCNBC/status/1465404508473864198\u00a0\u2026
— Erin B. Logan (@Erin B. Logan) 1638216043

Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann also shared a report about the alleged misconduct, and added, "And now he has to be fired[.]"

And now he has to be firedhttps://twitter.com/schwartzbcnbc/status/1465404508473864198\u00a0\u2026
— Keith Olbermann (@Keith Olbermann) 1638216949

CNN's Chris Cuomo dares Twitter user to name just one time he's denied facts he doesn't like — then the replies come rolling in



After the tongue lashing President Joe Biden gave CNN's Kaitlan Collins for her Vladimir Putin question earlier this week — for which Biden later apologized — far-left actress Rosanna Arquette was in no mood to make nice with the media.

Instead, she tweeted that the president was "right to lose his patience with a journalist or any journalist who tries to twist his words. Calling that crap out is the way forward. Enough bulls**t. The truth and nothing but the truth."

With that CNN's Chris Cuomo replied to Arquette that the "problem is truth is now at the mercy of what people want to be true. If you don't like it...it isn't the truth."

That apparently was too much to take for another Twitter user, who promptly called out Cuomo: "The story of your life, you constantly deny facts you don't like."

Uh oh.

Given the CNN host once threatened a guy in public who referred to him as Fredo, the weak brother in "The Godfather," Cuomo shot back and challenged his Twitter adversary to "name one" example:

It's on!

As you might guess, Twitter went a little nuts after Cuomo threw down — and his tweet has been getting ratioed ever since, showing about 2,500 replies to just 741 likes as of Friday afternoon.

And what did some of those replies contain? Well, a decent number answered Cuomo's dare to name just one example of him denying facts he doesn't like.

Commentary writer Drew Holden offered a few examples:

@ChrisCuomo Rebekah Jones https://t.co/jV0KbgwXDy

— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) 1623938217.0

@ChrisCuomo Antifa https://t.co/9Hb66i8s3A

— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) 1623938250.0

The Daily Caller chimed in, too:

@ChrisCuomo https://t.co/aFMwe3olRK

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) 1623939880.0

This guy put a humorous spin on his contribution:

@ChrisCuomo https://t.co/VH3IaTldiv

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) 1623939425.0

Also:

@ChrisCuomo Will you admit that the Hunter Biden laptop isn’t Russian disinformation or are you still clinging to that lie?

— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) 1623985364.0

Another user offered a doozy of a reply: "Not enough Twitter space for your idiocy. Michael Avenatti BS; Covington kids lies; Brett Kavanaugh distortion; Russia Collusion over and over; Your Covid deception, etc. When people look for the 'Great Deceiver' on CNN they will say…'I knew it was you, Fredo. I knew it was you!'"

Here's more on the matter from Sky News:

Twitter roasts CNN's Chris Cuomo after he dares them to show examples of him denying factsyoutu.be

'Of course CNN has to cover it': Chris Cuomo addresses sexual harassment claims against his brother Gov. Andrew Cuomo



CNN anchor Chris Cuomo addressed the sexual harassment claims against Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), his brother, in a short statement on his show after more accusations surfaced.

Cuomo acknowledged that CNN would have to cover the story but that he could not because of his conflict of interest.

"Before we start tonight, let me say something that I'm sure is very obvious to you who watch my show, and thank you for that," said Cuomo.

"You're straight with me, I'll be straight with you," he added.

"Obviously I am aware of what is going on with my brother. And obviously I cannot cover it because he is my brother. Now, of course CNN has to cover it. They have covered it extensively and they will continue to do so," Cuomo continued.

"I have always cared, very deeply, about these issues, and profoundly so," he concluded. "I just wanted to tell you that, there's a lot of news going on that matters also, so let's get after that."

Here's the brief statement from Chris Cuomo:

>> @ChrisCuomo at the top of @CuomoPrimeTime tonight: "Obviously I am aware of what is going on with my brother. An… https://t.co/xYxXVQDL1h
— Brian Stelter (@Brian Stelter)1614650665.0

The CNN host was besieged online by those pointing out that he didn't abstain from covering his brother before the newest damaging accusations. Some mocked him by reminding him of an embarrassing interview where he held a giant cotton swab to poke fun at his brother.

Guys, guys, you have to understand - he can only cover his brother when he holds the qtip. pic.twitter.com/NmVKCXnjgQ
— RT 💨 (@thereald0tt) March 2, 2021

Gov. Cuomo faced a third accuser on Monday who claimed that he had made unwanted advances at her during a wedding in Sept. 2019. She also was able to produce a photograph capturing their interaction.

The first accusation came from a former aide that said Cuomo had inappropriately touched her and kissed her on the lips without her consent. The second accuser was another former aide who claimed Cuomo had asked her inappropriate questions and appeared to be grooming her for a sexual relationship.

The beleaguered governor has addressed the first two accusers in a statement that denied any inappropriate touching and explained away his allegedly inappropriate comments as harmless "banter" that was misunderstood by the objects of his "playful" jokes.

Earlier on CNN, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio hammered away at the governor and said that if any of the accusations were confirmed that Cuomo would have to step down from the governorship.

Here's how CNN covered the accusations against Cuomo:

Gov. Cuomo accuser says he hasn't taken responsibility for his actionswww.youtube.com

Miles 'Anonymous' Taylor defends lying on CNN, says he owes colleague Anderson Cooper 'a beer'



Former DHS-staffer-turned-CNN-contributor Miles Taylor has come out in defense of himself lying outright on air about the fact that he is anti-Trump author "Anonymous" after finally revealing his identity, saying he owes his colleague, Anderson Cooper, "a beer" over the ordeal.

What are the details?

Taylor wrote a lengthy Medium post published Wednesday revealing that he is Anonymous, the alleged "senior Trump administration official" who penned the widely-read New York Times op-ed and subsequent book slamming President Donald Trump's character from the perspective of a White House insider.

But it was quickly revealed that Taylor recently denied to his current employer and the network's viewers that he is, in fact, Anonymous.

in August, CNN host Anderson Cooper asked Taylor directly, "You're not Anonymous?" to which Taylor replied, "I wear a mask for two reasons, Anderson. Halloweens and pandemics. So, no."

Miles Taylor in August: I didn't write anonymous op-ed www.youtube.com

On Wednesday night, Taylor was a guest on CNN host Chris Cuomo's show. Cuomo began the segment by telling the contributor, "First, what matters most, certainly to me: You lied to us, Miles. You were asked in August if you were Anonymous, here on CNN with Anderson Cooper, and you said no."

Cuomo asked, "Now, why should CNN keep you on the payroll after lying like that?"

Taylor answered that he wrote in his book "that if asked, I would strenuously deny I was the author, and here's the reason: Because the things I said in that book were ideas that I wanted Donald Trump to challenge on their merits."

"We have seen over the course of four years that Donald Trump's preference is to find personal attacks and distractions to pull people away from criticisms of his record," he continued, explaining, "I wrote that work anonymously to deprive him of that opportunity and to force him to answer the questions on their merits."

Taylor complained that "to this day," neither the president nor the White House has challenged his writings.

Regarding his false statement on CNN a few months back, Taylor said, "When asked by Anderson whether I was Anonymous during that time period, I said what I was going to do, I temporarily denied it, but I've always said I would ultimately come out under my own name."

"But that said, I owe Anderson Cooper a beer," Taylor told Cuomo. "I owe him a mea culpa, and the same thing for other reporters who at that time period asked me, 'are you Anonymous,' and I said no, because I wanted that work to stand on its own two legs."

The book, titled "A Warning," reached #1 on the bestseller lists at both the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Taylor claims he donated much of his proceeds from the deal.

Before moving on to more questions, Cuomo told Taylor, "You know what the problem is with having lied is that now you are a liar, and people will be slow to believe you when you lied about something as important as whether or not you wanted to own this."

Taylor acknowledged, "That's the truth," calling his choice to remain anonymous "a torturous decision."

.@ChrisCuomo: First, what matters most, certainly to me. You lied to us, Miles. You were asked in August if you… https://t.co/n7YNBHaO2P
— Washington Examiner (@Washington Examiner)1603933998.0

Internet shreds Chris Cuomo after he rants about Trump's unmasked balcony appearance. Remember how Cuomo reportedly lied about his own COVID-19 quarantine — and fought with a cyclist?



Social media took CNN's Chris Cuomo to task on Monday night after he embarked on a blistering rant against President Donald Trump.

In the attack, Cuomo slammed the president's return to the White House following his COVID-19 diagnosis and stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

What are the details?

As highlighted by Fox News, a bevy of critics hit out at Cuomo on Monday night after the CNN anchor bemoaned Trump's return to the White House and took aim at footage showing the president taking off his mask while outside on his own balcony to wave to the public.

The "Cuomo Prime Time" host went viral in April for videotaping his "official reentry" from quarantine into the rest of society following his own COVID-19 diagnosis. During his dramatic reentry, Cuomo insisted that he'd been stuck in the family's basement for weeks during his convalescence.

However, it was shortly revealed that Cuomo was seen walking outside of his second property, and even engaged in an altercation with a cyclist while he was on the mend and purportedly confined to the family's basement.

"Days later," Fox News pointed out, "Cuomo dug himself a hole when he tried to combat a Twitter critic by claiming he was 'past quarantine' on the date of a now-infamous altercation with a cyclist, which appears to have occurred days before he claimed he was first healthy enough to emerge from his basement."

Despite his own controversy, Cuomo on Monday night said, "You want a metaphor? You've [got] a president who is a drunk driver who is pushing others to drive drunk. That's what he is. Do I want to see a drunk driver get hurt? Hell no. But I worry more about the people he hits."

He complained, "I love seeing him do that victory lap in that limo, thank God! You know why? I knew that meant he has to be OK. Not the people in there with him, PPE up to their ... nose. Now they've got to quarantine. He doesn't give a damn. And now, I do not have to feign any extra measure of compassion."

"Because he went out there, [and] whatever happens now is on him," Cuomo ranted. "The White House is a cluster. He returned to a cluster and took his mask off."

"This President is a walking lie," says @ChrisCuomo, detailing Trump returning to the White House and removing his… https://t.co/EBaYo1bSuJ
— Cuomo Prime Time (@Cuomo Prime Time)1601949948.0

What did people say about the diatribe?

In a lengthy article, Media Research Center news analyst Nicholas Fondacaro wrote, "This was from the same guy who was caught breaking his own quarantine while he was still contagious, and staged a fake news segment where he came out of his basement 'officially.' He also admitted to spreading his coronavirus to his wife."

Commentator Caleb Hull added, "Chris Cuomo was diagnosed with COVID-19, broke quarantine, didn't wear a mask, put others in danger, got into a fight with a cyclist who called him out, then pretended nothing ever happened and threw a party when his 'quarantine' was over."

The Daily Caller's official Twitter account quipped, "Flashback to April when Cuomo played a dramatic clip of him leaving his basement after supposedly being cleared of coronavirus but had already broken quarantine and got into an altercation with a biker."

Flashback to April when Cuomo played a dramatic clip of him leaving his basement after supposedly being cleared of… https://t.co/M6FYdxUrRb
— Daily Caller (@Daily Caller)1601955456.0

Commentator Jordan Rachel added, "Remember when Chris Cuomo went out in public while knowingly infected with COVID (violating his quarantine) and threatened the random biker who called him out for it?"

Remember when Chris Cuomo went out in public while knowingly infected with COVID (violating his quarantine) and thr… https://t.co/nNXsPyzmeX
— Jordan Rachel - Text JORDAN to 88022 (@Jordan Rachel - Text JORDAN to 88022)1601999582.0

Chris Cuomo cleared to end self-quarantinewww.youtube.com

Ted Cruz and CNN's Chris Cuomo clash in fiery debate over Gov. Cuomo's COVID-19 policies: 'Trump broke you guys'



Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and CNN host Chris Cuomo engaged in a heated exchange Wednesday night when the two butted heads over the handling of COVID-19 by the anchor's brother, New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

During the "Cuomo Prime Time" interview, Cuomo and Cruz discussed President Donald Trump's comments at the first presidential debate, the Proud Boys, and Cruz's new book. Tensions flared throughout the interview, but especially when Cruz criticized Gov. Cuomo's coronavirus response.

Chris Cuomo said that the governors in Texas, Florida, and Georgia didn't do enough coronavirus testing, which he claims hindered reopening efforts.

"I get that your show wants to attack Texas, and Florida, and Georgia because they have Republican governors," Cruz retorted. "We have also had much, much lower death rates than many other parts of the country, and it's political, the attacks you're making."

"I think what we should be focused on is, yes, testing. I'm a big proponent of testing. We need to do more testing," Cruz said. "But we need people to go back to work."

Cruz alleged Cuomo was politicizing the coronavirus pandemic, to which the CNN anchor said it "couldn't be less political for me."

Then the Texas senator sternly asserted, "Let me say something. There is something disgusting that Democrats are doing, that Joe Biden does, and that you do, which is you try to blame the people who've lost their lives on your political enemies."

Cruz continued to spar with the TV host, "And that's just not right. ... It's not right at all and it's particularly not right, Chris, when your brother has presided over the state with the highest death rate in the country."

According to Worldometers, New York has the second-highest COVID-19 deaths per million in the U.S. at 1,709, trailing only New Jersey, which has 1,829. Texas is ranked 18th in COVID-19 deaths per million with 556.

"New York's record will stand for itself," Cuomo defended his brother.

"I know your brother didn't want those people to lose their lives, but you shouldn't play politics," Cruz said.

Cuomo retorted sarcastically, "Oh, that's good. So you don't think he intentionally killed them. That's good. That's very charitable of you, Ted."

"Of course not," Cruz proclaimed. "But I do think we could have a very reasonable policy discussion about the policy mistakes in New York and New Jersey of sending COVID-positive patients into nursing homes; I think that was a very serious policy mistake."

Cuomo smarmily asked, "Mm-hmm, because that didn't happen all over the country, right?"

"No, it didn't happen in Texas," Cruz declared. "That's one of the reasons why the death rate in New York is four times the death rate in Texas."

Cuomo then launched a verbal attack on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The senator asked Cuomo, "Was is it a mistake when your brother implemented a policy that nursing homes had to accept COVID-positive patients and endangered the lives of tens of thousands of seniors in New York state?"

"My brother was the first one to say that there was a learning curve and that mistakes were made and they changed things as soon as they could," Cuomo replied.

"But then don't be a hypocrite about it," Cruz shot back.

On June 29, Republicans Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon asked Christi Grimm, principal deputy inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to launch an investigation into five states for their policies regarding placing coronavirus-infected patients in nursing homes and long-term care centers.

"As reported by the media, the governors of a handful of states in which some nursing homes struggled to provide safe and adequate care 'actually ordered nursing homes to accept patients with active COVID-19 infections who were being discharged from hospitals.' Governors issuing such directives include those in New York, New Jersey, California, Pennsylvania, and Michigan," the lawmakers' letter stated.

All five states that implemented the policies have Democratic governors.

A report from the New York Times released in late June stated that nursing home COVID-19 deaths accounted for 43% of all coronavirus deaths in the United States.

A report from the Associated Press released in August claimed that New York's official count of nursing home residents who died "could actually be a significant undercount."

Cuomo and Cruz also faced off in a contentious argument about President Donald Trump's comments during the first presidential debate. Cuomo brought up the Proud Boys, to which Cruz said, "I've condemned the Proud Boys long ago. I think white supremacists, Klansmen, Nazis are ignorant, bigoted morons."

Cruz said he wishes President Trump "had been much clearer in his denunciation." Then Cruz brought up Biden's association with Robert Byrd, who was at one time an "Exalted Cyclops" of the KKK, which is the highest-ranking position in a chapter.

"The press is partisan in this regard. Ten years ago, 2010, Joe Biden gave a eulogy for Robert Byrd, who was a Grand Cyclops of the KKK," Cruz said.

Cuomo responded, "You're really gonna go with that? I know you're a master debater ... you're gonna go with that weak-ass argument here? Byrd, who had a complete enlightenment about how hate was wrong, who changed his life, who spoke about it, who changed his ways?"

"Chris, have you ever eulogized a Klansman? I haven't," Cruz retaliated.

"Chris, there was a time when CNN actually cared about being journalistic and talking about facts," Cruz explained. "Donald Trump broke you guys."

"I mean, your entire show, your entire network now is just how much you hate Trump," Cruz added.

"Chris, do you actually want to talk substance?" @TedCruz asks @ChrisCuomo."We are talking substance. I just like… https://t.co/Y8NwMkhmjZ
— Cuomo Prime Time (@Cuomo Prime Time)1601519245.0