The Cuomo brothers have proved one thing throughout this entire pandemic. When it comes to their professional and ethical priorities, their family will come first before all other considerations.

Both Andrew and Chris (Sonny and Fredo? Fredo and Fredo? Cain and Enabler, as the New York Post called them today?) have demonstrated that if the professional and ethical considerations involved in both their jobs – Andrew as the elected governor of New York, and Chris as a CNN “journalist” – comes into conflict with taking care of their family first, then ethics be damned.

We have known for a while that Governor Cuomo mismanaged the COVID pandemic in New York state. In late March, we learned through the Washington Post that the governor made sure that his family got priority when it came to COVID testing in the early days of the pandemic.

During the early frenetic weeks in March 2020, officials working at testing sites rapidly assembled a system that gave special treatment to people described by staff as “priorities,” “specials,” “inner circle” or “criticals,” according to five people, including three nurses, who described how resources were redirected to serve those close to the governor and other cases that were fast-tracked.”

At one of the first pandemic operations hubs in the state, the testing priority status of more than 100 individuals were logged in an electronic data sheet that was kept separate from a database for the general public, according to a person with direct knowledge of the practice.”

Two individuals said clothing and footwear designer Kenneth Cole, the governor’s brother-in-law, was among those who benefited from priority testing.”

And a top state physician whose pandemic portfolio involved coordinating testing in nursing homes was dispatched multiple times to the Hamptons home of CNN host Chris Cuomo, the governor’s brother, in testing visits that sometimes stretched hours, according to two people with knowledge of the consultations.”

When this was revealed, brother Chris got full cover from his bosses at CNN, who, let’s face it, hired him for his name and connections, not his brains. Look, poor Chris was SCARED, so of COURSE he leveraged his older brother’s elected office to help himself – who wouldn’t?

Statement from @CNN spokesman Matt Dornic on reports that @ChrisCuomo got special coronavirus testing treatment from NYS officials. pic.twitter.com/4h7fe0Eb6m

— ErikWemple (@ErikWemple) March 25, 2021

Well, anyone with a shred of professional ethics would have not made sure his family got special treatment, and anyone with a shred of journalistic ethics would have at least disclosed the special treatment while he was allegedly quarantining in his basement. But CNN apparently doesn’t expect ethics from its employees, so the brothers Cuomo get a pass from them – even when it was revealed that the Cuomo family was STILL GETTING priority COVID testing!

We’ve already talked about the very real and obvious conflict of interest that was played out in front of everyone during the pandemic, when Chris Cuomo was allowed to intervew his brother the governor, and CNN winked and nodded at it because it got views, and they had a vested interest in propping up Andrew Cuomo against the Bad Orange Man. Well, the wheels have come off the Cuomo train, but CNN pretty much ignores all of that. In fact, Chris Cuomo went on air to explain why he couldn’t comment on his brother’s many, many, MANY problems.

Well, he couldn’t comment on AIR about them, but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t tell brother Andrew what to DO about them in an advisory capacity with people listening in.

Wait, what?

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, and senior members of the governor’s staff on how to respond to sexual harassment allegations made earlier this year by women who had worked with the governor, according to four people familiar with the discussions.”

Cuomo, one of the network’s top stars, joined a series of conference calls that included the Democratic governor, his top aide, his communications team, lawyers and a number of outside advisers, according to the people familiar with the conversations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private sessions.”

The calls occurred earlier this year, when a growing number of claims that Andrew Cuomo made inappropriate comments or touched women without their permission had escalated into a political crisis for the three-term governor.”

The cable news anchor encouraged his brother to take a defiant position and not to resign from the governor’s office, the people said. At one point, he used the phrase “cancel culture” as a reason to hold firm in the face of the allegations, two people present on one call said”.

Surely CNN cares about this, right? Right?

In a statement, CNN acknowledged that Chris Cuomo took part in the strategy sessions, saying his involvement was a mistake.”

“Chris has not been involved in CNN’s extensive coverage of the allegations against Governor Cuomo — on air or behind the scenes,” the network said in a statement. “In part because, as he has said on his show, he could never be objective. But also because he often serves as a sounding board for his brother.”

“However, it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governor’s staff, which Chris acknowledges,” the statement added. “He will not participate in such conversations going forward.”

The network said Cuomo will not be disciplined.”

Bottom line: Chris Cuomo will never be fired for his shocking lack of ethics, because CNN is essentially giving him a pass – and by default, Andrew – BECAUSE he is a Cuomo. That’s got to make CNN employees pretty thrilled. But it’s okay, because Chris apologized.

CNN's @ChrisCuomo apologizes: "I put my colleagues here, who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot. I never intended for that, I would never intent for that, and I'm sorry for that." pic.twitter.com/IeLtmcUT8g

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 21, 2021

The guy admits on air that he is “family first, job second” and CNN just nods and smiles and pats him on the head. And you wonder why CNN’s ratings are in the toilet?

Chris Cuomo has fully admitted that he can’t be objective when it comes to his brother. He’s said openly where his loyalties lie, and it isn’t with the truth. Ethics be damned. And CNN, with their reaction, proves yet again that they don’t give a damn about ethics, either. Welcome to the Cuomo News Network, where Andrew gets the blind eye and Chris cashes the checks.

Featured image: Chris Cuomo at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, cropped, public domain