Chris Cuomo Reportedly Privately Denying Sexual Assault Allegation, Claiming He’ll Demand an Apology from CNN and Jeff Zucker

Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has reportedly privately denied a sexual assault allegation against him by a former associate at ABC News.

Cuomo – who was fired by CNN in December over ethical lapses in advising his brother Andrew Cuomo while the former New York governor was facing sexual misconduct allegations – has been accused by a former coworker of asking her to have sex with him. After she refused, Cuomo allegedly “assaulted her” and “she ran out of the room,” according to The New York Times on Tuesday.

Shortly before Cuomo was fired, CNN received a letter from the woman’s lawyer, Debra Katz. The accuser has asked to remain anonymous. According to the Times, Katz wrote that Cuomo “had tried to keep [the accuser] quiet by arranging a flattering CNN segment” about her then-workplace. Katz reportedly called it an “abuse of power at CNN to attempt to silence my client.”

A Cuomo spokesperson denied the allegations.

According to The New York Post, Cuomo has been denying the sexual assault allegation to people in his circle and described what allegedly happened with the woman, with whom he said he had a “friendly dynamic,” as “nothing inappropriate.”

Cuomo is also reportedly “doubling down on his claims that he was improperly fired by CNN, telling people that when the dust settles he will be demanding an apology from his old network as well as his former boss Jeff Zucker“:

Cuomo is said to be incensed by leaks he believes comes from people in Zucker’s camp and CNN. Zucker said he didn’t know the scope of the advice he was giving to his brother Andrew, the former New York State governor who was also forced to resign over a sexual harassment scandal.

But Chris Cuomo has told people all his interactions with his brother during the final days of Andrew’s governorship were disclosed to Zucker.