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CNN has banned writer/author Ryan Girdusky from appearing on the network after he directed racist comments at Mehdi Hasan during a discussion Monday evening.
During a discussion on Abby Phillip’s primetime show, Hasan stated that he was a “supporter of the Palestinians.”
Girdusky responded by stating “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” referencing the attacks by Israel against the terrorist group Hezbollah by hacking their pagers and beepers, causing the batteries to overheat and explode. The attacks killed 37 people and injured another 3,000, the country estimates.
Hezbollah is a Lebanese terrorist organization. It has limited ties to the conflict in Gaza between Israel and another terrorist organization, Hamas.
Hasan, a Muslim and journalist who founded Zeteo News, quickly responded to Ryan Girdusky by asking “Did you just say I should die?” The panel descended into chaos for several moments before Phillip tried to regain control. After a returning from a commercial break following the incident, Phillip apologized on-air to Hasan for the comments made by Girdusky.
“First, I want to apologize to Mehdi Hasan for what was said at this table,” Phillip said. “It was completely unacceptable. When we get this discussion started, you’ll see that Ryan is not at the table. There is a line that was crossed.”
After the appearance, CNN released a statement saying Girdusky would not appear on the network in the future.
“There is zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our air,” the statement said. “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. 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.”
Girdusky took to social media after the ban to argue that he was subjected to a “double standard” by the network.
