CNN's Brian Stelter tells Stephen Colbert the Chris Cuomo situation is 'definitely awkward' and 'you've got to have boundaries'

• Brian Stelter told Stephen Colbert that the situation with Chris Cuomo is "really complicated."
• There's "no page for this" scenario in the "journalism ethics book," Stelter said.
• Cuomo has faced criticism for advising his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on a sexual harassment scandal.

CNN's Brian Stelter appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Tuesday, addressing the ongoing criticism the cable network is facing over host Chris Cuomo in relation to the scandal surrounding his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

"Some people are mad at him," Stelter told Colbert of how people at CNN feel about Cuomo in relation to interactions with his brother. Stelter described the situation as "really complicated" and "definitely awkward."

There's "no page for this" scenario in the "journalism ethics book," Stelter said.

Cuomo in May apologized after it came to light that he'd advised his brother on how to handle sexual harassment allegations. The New York Times on Tuesday reported that Cuomo regularly spoke with the New York governor over the past week and urged him to resign. The governor announced his resignation, effective in two weeks, on Tuesday.

Stelter told Colbert that he also confirmed with a source that Cuomo has been in contact with his brother. When Colbert asked if Cuomo was the source Stelter said no, adding, "You've got to have boundaries. You've got to draw a line."

"Why? He doesn't!" Colbert replied.

"I think he does actually," Stelter said.

Stelter said CNN had barred Cuomo from speaking about his brother on air as the scandal has escalated.

"Then why didn't they rule that way when his brother was on pretty much every night during the COVID crisis?" Colbert asked. "That seems like an odd conflict of rules."

The governor regularly appeared on Cuomo's CNN show throughout the pandemic, particularly at a time when New York was considered the epicenter of the crisis.

Cuomo is not on air this week, taking a break for what he said was a pre-planned vacation for his birthday.

Last week, the New York attorney general's office released a 165-page report that said the governor "sexually harassed a number of current and former New York State employees by, among other things, engaging in unwelcome and nonconsensual touching, as well as making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature that created a hostile work environment for women."

The governor has consistently pushed against the allegations, and continued this trend as he announced his plans to resign. "In my mind I've never crossed the line with anyone," he said.