CNN's Chris Cuomo said he won't cover allegations about his brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but his colleagues will

• CNN's Chris Cuomo won't be covering news on his brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, he said.
• Gov. Cuomo has been accused of harassment and is under scrutiny for his handling of COVID-19 data.
• "Obviously, I cannot cover it, because he is my brother," the anchor told his audience Monday.

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo told his viewers Monday that he won't be covering allegations made about his older brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but that the rest of the network would.

The New York governor has been accused by three women, including two former staffers, of making unwanted advances toward them. He is now facing calls from lawmakers to step down.

He is also under intense scrutiny for his handling of COVID-19 data. In January, New York Attorney General Letitia James accused him of undercounting nursing-home deaths by as much as half.

This was followed in February by reports that his administration withheld those numbers over fears the report might be used in an investigation - which led to calls for him to be stripped of his emergency powers.

Chris, who hosts the weeknight "Cuomo Prime Time" show, addressed the issue on Monday.

"Obviously, I'm aware of what's going on with my brother," he said. "And obviously, I cannot cover it, because he is my brother. Now, of course, CNN has to cover it. They have covered it, extensively, and they will continue to do so."

He continued by saying he cares "deeply" about the issues involved, but that he would be using his show to look at other news.

Media commentators have accused the anchor of having a conflict of interest in former coverage of his brother, having conducted several friendly interviews with him over the past year.

A network ban on interviews between the two - in place since 2013 - was lifted in March last year as New York emerged as a hot spot for COVID-19, making coverage of the city a major news item, The New York Times reported. And at the end of March, the governor tested positive for the virus.

The network told The Washington Post in February that it had taken the decision because it was an "extraordinary time."

"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," a CNN spokesperson said.

The one-on-one interviews, focusing on Andrew Cuomo's response to the pandemic, raised eyebrows across the media spectrum, Mediaite reported.

Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple said the coverage was "over-the-top praise when the governor is up; silence when he's down." Former CNN digital producer Steve Krakauer told Fox News it was a "conflict of interest."

In a June interview, Chris Cuomo hailed his brother as "the best politician in the country," adding, "Of course, I'm not objective," Mediaite reported.

CNN did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.