CNN had “Jeffrey Toobin on analyzing the Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment allegations as their legal expert.”
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CNN clip about Andrew Cuomo doesn’t include Jeffrey Toobin
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- A CNN clip that shows four people discussing the New York state attorney’s report that found Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women didn’t include Jeffrey Toobin. The man some people said was Toobin was actually CNN political director David Chalian.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Aug. 10 announced plans to resign amid ongoing criminal investigations. The state’s attorney general, Letitia James, had recently released a report finding that Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women.
Cuomo has denied the charges. For weeks the sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo have drawn scrutiny, as have conflict-of-interest questions concerning CNN and anchor Chris Cuomo, who often had his governor brother on his show.
On Aug. 3, conservative commentator Clay Travis called out the network for another apparent conflict of interest.
"CNN currently has Zoom masturbator Jeffrey Toobin on analyzing the Andrew Cuomo sexual harassment allegations as their legal expert," he tweeted. "Amazing."
Chris Stigall, a conservative radio host, tweeted something similar that day alongside an image of a CNN broadcast with a panel of four guests. The man in the bottom left corner resembles Toobin, who spent eight months on leave from CNN after exposing himself to his New Yorker magazine colleagues during a Zoom call. Toobin returned to CNN as the network’s chief legal analyst in June.
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But that wasn’t Toobin discussing the attorney general’s report about Cuomo. It was CNN political director David Chalian. You can watch a clip of the segment here.
Travis and political commentator Megyn Kelly issued corrections. Stigall also tweeted a follow-up saying that it wasn’t Toobin.
But screenshots of Travis’ original tweet are still spreading online without that mea culpa.
One was posted on Instagram as recently as Aug. 10.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
We rate claims that this segment shows Toobin analyzing Cuomo’s sexual harassment allegations False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, Aug. 10, 2021
The New York Times, Governor Cuomo says he will resign, Aug. 10, 2021
NBC News, Cuomo denies claims of sexual harassment in state attorney general report, ignores calls to resign, Aug. 3, 2021
The New York Times, CNN’s Cuomo conundrum: A star anchor with a brother in trouble, Aug. 4, 2021
Clay Travis tweet, Aug. 3, 2021
Chris Stigall tweet, Aug. 3, 2021
Chris Stigall, tweet, Aug. 3, 2021CNN, Jeffrey Toobin suspended from New Yorker, on leave from CNN, after he exposed himself on Zoom call, Oct. 20, 2020
CNN, Jeffrey Toobin is back at CNN eight months after exposing himself on Zoom, June 10, 2021
CNN, ‘Obviously damning’: CNN political director on Gov. Andrew Cuomo report, Aug. 3, 2021
Clay Travis tweet, Aug. 3, 2021
Megyn Kelly tweet, Aug. 3, 2021
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CNN clip about Andrew Cuomo doesn’t include Jeffrey Toobin
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