CNN says Chris Cuomo banned from covering brother, despite early pandemic exception

A CNN spokesperson told the Washington Post that a rule prohibiting anchor Chris Cuomo from interviewing or covering his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, "remains in place today."

Why it matters: Chris Cuomo hosted his brother for numerous segments of "Cuomo Prime Time" to discuss the coronavirus last year, when New York was at the epicenter of the pandemic and the governor was winning plaudits for his crisis management. Gov. Cuomo is now facing a federal probe and calls to resign over his handling of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.

• Chris Cuomo's show has not covered the controversy surrounding Gov. Cuomo — who was accused on Wednesday of threatening a Democratic state lawmaker over the alleged nursing home cover-up — despite other CNN programs reporting on the issue, according to the New York Post.
• It raises questions about whether the governor should have ever appeared on "Cuomo Prime Time," given the conflict of interest.

What they're saying: "The early months of the pandemic crisis were an extraordinary time," a CNN spokesperson told the Washington Post. "We felt that Chris speaking with his brother about the challenges of what millions of American families were struggling with was of significant human interest."

• "As a result, we made an exception to a rule that we have had in place since 2013 which prevents Chris from interviewing and covering his brother, and that rule remains in place today. CNN has covered the news surrounding Governor Cuomo extensively."

Go deeper: Cuomo allegedly threatened a state lawmaker over nursing home scandal