Report: CNN investigation looking into Jeff Zucker's ties to Andrew Cuomo

Rolling Stone

The exposed relationship between the former CNN president and his underling Allison Gollust isn't the only red flag being investigated by Cravath, Swaine & Moore’s Katherine Forrest, a former U.S. district judge who has conducted multiple investigations for WarnerMedia in the past. Rolling Stone's Tatiana Siegel reports that, based on a source, "the investigation suggests Zucker and Gollust were advising the (then-New York) governor at the beginning of the Covid pandemic in ways not dissimilar to what led to Chris Cuomo’s dismissal. As Andrew sparred on a daily basis with then-President Trump over Covid messaging, the couple provided the governor with talking points on how to respond to the president’s criticisms of the New York crisis. They also booked the governor to appear on the network exclusively, which became a ratings boon for CNN, with Chris Cuomo doing the interviewing. Cuomo and Gollust’s conduct, too, would appear to mark an ethical breach for executives acting on behalf of an impartial news outlet." As Siegel and others point out, Zucker and Gollust's relationship was no secret, and that it may go back to 1996 when they were NBC News colleagues. Yet Zucker and Gollust denied the romance “over and over again." Until recently. Their relationship became exposed as part of the probe into Chris Cuomo, with emails and other “evidence” painting an undeniable picture of the duo’s romantic relationship.

ALSO:

• Fox News mentioned "Jeff Zucker" more than 170 times in the 24 hours after his resignation, while MSNBC has ignored the story
• CNN staffers have grown skeptical of WarnerMedia and Discovery following Zucker's exit
• Zucker's exit may change CNN+'s long-term plans
• Allison Gollust reportedly referred to her and Zucker as "we": “It wasn’t even an open secret. It was just open"