On Monday, CNN invited conservative commentator and avid Trump supporter Ryan Girdusky to participate in a discussion panel about Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally. During the discussion, Girdusky and journalist Mehdi Hasan got into a heated back-and-forth that culminated in Girdusky responding to Hasan’s assertion that he supports Palestinian rights by telling him, “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off” — referring to a September attack on members of Hezbollah that was carried out by Israel using explosive pagers.
The ensuing few minutes devolved into a shouting match during which Girdusky claimed to have been under the impression that when Hasan, who is Muslim, said he was a “supporter of Palestinians,” he had just outed himself as a supporter of Hamas. Before the panel reconvened, CNN correspondent and host of the discussion Abby Phillip released a formal apology and announced that Girdusky had been asked to leave. “There is a line that was crossed there, and it’s not acceptable,” she said in a filmed segment. “We want discussion, we want people who disagree with each other to talk to each other, but when you cross the line to a complete lack of civility, that is not going to happen on this show.”
After the segment, CNN released a separate apology and shared that it had banned Girdusky from returning to the network. “There is zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our air,” the statement said. “We will not allow guests to be demeaned or for the line of civility to be crossed.” In another video, Phillip clarified that Hasan chose not to return to the panel either, though he was invited back.
Though he claimed that he apologized during the segment, the only sentiments Girdusky has shared on Twitter are his grievances with being banned. “You can stay on CNN if you falsely call every Republican a Nazi and have taken money from Qatar-funded media,” he wrote, presumably referring to Hasan. “Apparently you can’t go on CNN if you make a joke. I’m glad America gets to see what CNN stands for.”