Tag: Israel-Hamas war

CNN has fired a conservative pundit after he joked with left-wing Muslim commentator Mehdi Hasan during a brief exchange on “CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip.”

It started when guest panelist Ryan Girdusky pointed out that Hasan has been called an antisemite. Hassan said he was “used to” the label because he is a vocal supporter of the Palestinians.

“Well, I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” Girdusky said — apparently referring to Israel’s coordinated attack on Hezbollah last month that saw thousands of pagers used by Lebanese terrorists go off simultaneously.

The comment drew immediate rebuke from the other panellists, with Mehdi pointedly asking: “Are you saying I should die?”

Host Abby Phillip tried to rein in the panelists as the argument escalated. Medhi again accused Girdusky of threatening him, saying, “Are you saying I should be killed on CNN?”

Girdusky appeared to push back – asking if Medhi was saying he supported Hamas. The British-American journalist replied: “Of course he did not support Hamas.

Girdusky replied: “Well, then I apologize.”

That apology only made matters worse, with Phillip and the other guests blasting Girdusky for what they called “disgusting” and “racist.”

A few hours after the show, CNN released a statement denouncing Girdusky.

“There is no place for racism or bigotry on CNN or on our broadcast,” the statement read in part, noting that the network aims to “foster thoughtful conversation and debate” among those who disagree.

“But we will not allow the guests to be humiliated or cross the line of decency. Ryan Girdusky will not be welcomed back to our network.”

Girdusky, who has written for publications including American Conservative Magazine, took to X to criticize the network for firing him.

“You can stay on CNN if you falsely call every Republican a Nazi and you got money from the Qatari funded media.” he wrote in a veiled reference to Mehdi’s media startupZeteo, being funded by the Middle Eastern country’s government – ​​a claim he has repeatedly denied.

“Apparently you can’t go on CNN if you’re joking. I’m glad America can see what CNN stands for.”

Mehdi, who was born in the UK to parents who immigrated from India, has written or contributed to left-wing media outlets including Al Jazeera and MSNBC.

Last year he was accused of plagiarizing a column he wrote in favor of beating children more than 20 years ago, and in 2019, he apologized when old blog entries surfaced in which the columnist compared groups such as non-Muslims and atheists with “cattle”.