Fredo better start saying his Hail Marys.

Chris Cuomo, brother of disgraced ex-New York governor Andrew Cuomo, has been taken off the air indefinitely by CNN as evidence has come to light via transcripts from the New York Attorney General that substantiated his exploitation of his position with the network to assist la famiglia.

Naturally Chris isn’t really in trouble with CNN for what he did but rather that his actions were documented in his brother’s on-going legal issues stemming from sexual harassment allegations.

In short, his crime was getting caught.

CNN had already given him a pass for admitting to the network honchos that he had assisted his brother with advice, despite that being a flagrant violation of their policies.

However Chris Cuomo’s utilization of media sources to gather information to attack his brothers accusers is as if la cosa nostra did a drive by on #MeToo.

Chris Cuomo wouldn’t have a tv show if not for his surname yet being a member of an Empire State Democratic political dynasty with a sibling who was very much politically active should’ve precluded him from having a gig with CNN, if only for the sake of the news channel avoiding the appearance of impropriety.

While partisan hackery is as much en vogue at the Atlanta studios as much is at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (home of MSNBC), what Chris Cuomo engaged in is far worse than “advocacy journalism”, which is in itself a stain on the profession, but spying and reporting information to his embattled older brother.

That Cuomo was not outright terminated for his misdeeds ought to be an embarrassment to CNN and all of its employees. But when you lack any sense of shame and put a premium on ideology, everything is a decision centered around business and not credibility.

The transgendered staff at Netflix showed more backbone in their public protest to cancel Dave Chappelle’s comedy special (not that they and their sympathizers were in the right whatsoever) than the folks at CNN.

Where are the reporters, anchors, and news directors loudly objecting to the relatively benign punishment Cuomo has thus far  received from the network brass?

Of course CNN’s original sin with Chris Cuomo was having him on camera and on the payroll at all in the first place.

Believing that the brother of a big state governor known for wielding a heavy hand could be trusted to be objective  is an insult to the intelligence of Americans.

Journalism jobs are hard to come by as the universities annually produce far more than the trade can absorb.

Surely there are other individuals in the field that can perform Cuomo’s job on the same level if not better. Granted they don’t have the same lineage though that asset has suddenly suffered drastic depreciation.

The latest cable news ratings reflect the many Americans are neither buying nor watching what CNN is selling.

CNN draws about a third of Fox News’ audience and even trails MSNBC’s viewership.

CNN’s second most embarrassing personality Don Lemon attracts slightly more than half the viewers of the discredited Lawrence O’Donnell and the hyperbolic Brian Williams of MSNBC.

Even Anderson Cooper gets blown out by big margins, by 2 to 1 to Rachel Maddow and over 3 to 1 to Sean Hannity.

I guess more people eat at the Olive Garden than Gloria Vanderbilt’s son originally thought.

Episodes like the Cuomo intel leaks further undermine CNN’s standing as a credible news source. They’re far beyond biased; they’re outright disreputable. And that’s unsustainable for a news operation.

While MSNBC occupies a niche of news kookdom they’re at least better skilled at broadcasting their nonsense.

By contrast CNN acts a clumsy propaganda organ causing their standing as a trustworthy news source to diminish.

Chris Cuomo’s permanent departure from CNN won’t in any way improve the quality of their programing or lead to more even-handed news coverage.  Another leftist journalist just with a different look and name will fill his seat.

They are what they are.

But for there to be an absence of severe consequences for Chris Cuomo’s reprehensible conduct is unacceptable and, more troubling, would normalize his behavior.

This is far bigger than taking down a Cuomo or improving CNN’s image but a matter of right and wrong and setting a standard.

If Cuomo survives this and returns to television there will be further abuses by media figures but they will be met with less outrage until eventually tolerated.