CNN bans conservative commentator after verbal attack on Mehdi Hasan

US network says it has ‘zero room for racism’ after Girdusky tells Hasan: ‘I hope your beeper doesn’t go off.’

CNN has banned a conservative commentator after he verbally attacked British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan by referring to a series of exploding handheld devices in Lebanon that targeted Hezbollah.

“I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” Ryan James Girdusky said during a heated debate with Hasan, a prominent broadcaster and outspoken critic of Israel’s war on Gaza, on the show CNN Newsnight with host Abby Phillip on Monday.

In a statement, the network said: “There is zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our air.”

Nearly 40 people were killed and thousands wounded in two days of unprecedented attacks in September when pagers, walkie-talkies and other handheld communication devices exploded across Lebanon, which were blamed on Israel.

Guests on CNN Newsnight were debating the upcoming United States presidential election and the controversial Madison Square Garden rally of Republican candidate Donald Trump, including remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe about Puerto Rico.

Hasan, founder of new media company Zeteo, criticised the rhetoric at the rally during which several speakers, including Trump, made racist and sexist comments aimed at several minority groups, including Black Americans, Latinos and Jews.

At one point, Hasan acknowledged that the accusation that Trump and his supporters are Nazis is “inflammatory”.

“But if you don’t want to be called Nazis, stop doing, stop saying,” Hasan said before he was interrupted and talked over by Girdusky, who went on to note that Hasan himself was called an “anti-Semite more than anyone at this table”.

“I am in support of the Palestinians, so I am used to it,” Hasan said.

Girdusky then replied, “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off”, in an apparent reference to the mass attacks in Lebanon.

“Did you just say I should die? Did you just say I should be killed?” Hasan responded.

Phillip, the host, chastised Girdusky and apologised to Hasan following a commercial break while noting that Girdusky had been removed from the panel of guests.

“There is a line that was crossed there, and it’s not acceptable to me,” Phillip said.

CNN also said in its statement, “We aim to foster thoughtful conversations and debate including between people who profoundly disagree with each other in order to explore important issues and promote mutual understanding.”

Sharing @CNN’s statement and a quick message from me about what happened on tonight’s show.

I take this very seriously and want to again apologize to @mehdirhasan and I hope he’ll join us another time. pic.twitter.com/O9l0Ftv5NZ

— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) October 29, 2024

“But we will not allow guests to be demeaned or for the line of civility to be crossed. Ryan Girdusky will not be welcomed back at our network,” it added.

Hasan, who has been hosting Al Jazeera’s Head to Head show, has yet to issue a statement about the incident. He, however, shared the statements from CNN and Phillip on social media platform X.

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft think tank, said, “Every day, we think we may have hit rock bottom, and every day we are proven wrong.”

Girdusky later posted on X: “Apparently you can’t go on CNN if you make a joke. I’m glad America gets to see what CNN stands for.”

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Al Jazeera and news agencies