Chris Cuomo breaks silence on his 'embarrassing' indefinite suspension: CNN has 'a process that they think is important, and I respect that process'

CNN's Chris Cuomo on Wednesday broke his silence about his indefinite suspension from the cable network, noting that while he's "embarrassed,” he understands that CNN has "a process that they think is important, and I respect that process," Fox News reported.

What are the details?

"Hey everybody, it’s Chris Cuomo, let’s get after it, quick note, the obvious, I’ve been suspended from CNN," Cuomo said during his SiriusXM radio show, Fox News said.

Cuomo continued: "You know this already. It hurts to even say it; it’s embarrassing, but I understand it, and I understand why some people feel the way they do about what I did. I’ve apologized in the past, and I mean it; [...] the last thing I ever wanted to do was compromise any of my colleagues and do anything but help."

He concluded, "I know they have a process that they think is important, and I respect that process, so I’m not going to talk about this anymore than that," Fox News reported.

What's the background?

His suspension, announced Tuesday, came after New York Attorney General Letitia James' damaging report outlining the suspended anchor's extensive involvement in helping his older brother — former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo — battle sexual harassment allegations.

CNN's statement regarding Cuomo's suspension came through the cable network's chief media correspondent Brian Stelter:

The New York Attorney General's office released transcripts and exhibits Monday that shed new light on Chris Cuomo's involvement in his brother's defense. The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions. When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother's staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly. But we appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second. However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother's efforts than we previously knew. As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation.

Among the released transcripts from the AG's investigation was an acknowledgement from Chris Cuomo that he had been asked to use his contacts as a CNN anchor to find out more about the allegations against his older brother.

"I would — when asked, I would reach out to sources, other journalists, to see if they had heard of anybody else coming out," Cuomo said, according to the transcripts.

Cuomo's admission in the newly released testimony also contradicted what he told CNN viewers in August when he claimed, "I never made calls to the press about my brother's situation," Fox News said.

Stelter has speculated that Cuomo could return to the cable network as early as January, but a spokesman told Fox News Digital that nothing will be definite until the review has been completed.