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CNN bans commentator Ryan Girdusky after verbal attack on Mehdi Hasan

Posted on by Vanessa
CNN bans commentator Ryan Girdusky after verbal attack on Mehdi Hasan

Update, with CNN statement: According to CNN, commentator Ryan Girdusky will no longer be welcome on the network tonight following his offensive remark toward fellow guest Mehdi Hasan.

“There is no room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our show,” the network said in a statement shared by host Abby Phillip this evening.

Earlier this evening News Night with Abby PhillipGirdusky was fired from the show during a commercial break after he made a crass comment in which he suggested Hasan was a member of a terrorist organization. In a video accompanying CNN's statement, Philip apologized again for the incident, just as she had previously done on her show.

Phillip also says in her video message that although Hasan did not reappear after the commercial break, CNN did not ask him to leave as it did with Girdusky and that the decision was Hasan's. “We actually really wanted him to come back and finish the show,” she said, adding that she hoped he would return to the show soon.

CNN pulled a panelist News Night with Abby Phillip Tonight, after he took a swipe at Mehdi Hasan and suggested he was in league with terrorists.

Ryan James Girdusky, a writer and commentator, had a dispute with Hasan over the rhetoric used at Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.

Hasan said, “If you don't want to be called Nazis, then stop saying that,” but was interrupted by Girdusky. He noted that Hasan has been called an anti-Semite “more than anyone else at this table.”

“From you,” said Hasan.

Girdusky then denied calling him that.

“I support the Palestinians, so I’m used to it,” Hasan said.

“I hope your pager doesn’t go off,” Girdusky replied. That was a reference to Hezbollah members' exploding beepers, although Girdusky mentioned Hamas when the discussion devolved into crosstalk.

“Did your guest just say on live TV that I should be killed?” Hasan asked Phillip.

Phillip told Girdusky: “This is completely out of pocket. You know that.”

“I apologize,” Girdusky said.

After a commercial break, Phillip apologized to Hasan and noticed that Girdusky was no longer at the table.

“A line has been crossed that is not acceptable to me,” Phillip said. “This is unacceptable for us in this network. We want discussion. We want people who have different opinions to talk to each other. But if you cross the line into a complete lack of civility, that's not going to happen here on this show. It's a heated time. We are in the middle of a political season. We're still eight days away from a presidential election, but we can have conversations about what's happening in this country without resorting to the lowest discourse. I want to address that and apologize to the viewers at home because we want to hear each other, we want to talk to each other.”

Hasan was an anchor at MSNBC before his departure earlier this year. He then founded his own media company Zeteo.

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