TOO CHUMMY

Ex-CNN Exec Coordinated Softball Interviews With Then-Governor Cuomo

Gollust, a former top aide to the then-governor, resigned Tuesday in the wake of the network president’s shocking exit.

CNN’s chief of communications and marketing was fired from her job after an internal investigation unearthed a more extensive and inappropriate connection between her and disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo than previously known, The New York Times reports. Allison Gollust, a former top aide to Cuomo, had reportedly communicated with him before his interviews on CNN and forwarded topics he asked to discuss on TV to CNN producers, a blatant violation of journalistic ethics. Gollust spoke extensively to Cuomo, even updating him that she had passed his notes to her network’s producers, writing “Done” in a message to him. Gollust resigned Tuesday. A spokeswoman for her told the Times that Gollust “in no way suggested that inclusion of these topics was a condition of the interview, nor did she suggest the interview should be limited to these subjects.” Ex-CNN President Jeff Zucker, who was dating Gollust and who resigned earlier this month, was aware of the extent of her communications with the former governor, the Times reported.