CNN issued an apology and said that it has banned a conservative pundit from the network for racist statements he made on-air about Mehdi Hasan, a Muslim journalist.
“Well, I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” Trump fan and panelist Ryan Girdusky said to Hasan late Monday during a conversation over the language used in Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s event at Madison Square Garden over the weekend.
The remarks appeared to be a reference to Israeli strikes on the radios and pagers used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon, and they garnered tens of millions of views on the internet.
Hasan had already declared his support for Palestine.
Since Israel’s battles in Gaza and Lebanon began after an attack by Palestinian Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, rights activists have observed an increase in threats and hate speech directed toward American Muslims, Arabs, and Jews.
Following the event, CNN presenter Abby Philip expressed regret to Hasan. In a different statement, CNN said that racism and bigotry had no place at the network or on our television. The statement read, “Ryan Girdusky will not be welcomed back at our network.”
In addition to apologizing for his remarks on live, Girdusky defended himself on social media by claiming that they were a joke.
Girdusky added, “If you have stolen money from Qatar-funded media and falsely accuse every Republican of being a Nazi, you can continue to appear on CNN.” “Apparently, making a joke on CNN is a no-go.”
