CNN‘s NewsNight descended into chaos and acrimony on Monday night after Donald Trump surrogate Ryan Girdusky directed a shocking racist and Islamophobic attack on fellow panel guest Mehdi Hasan.
During a discussion about Trump’s now infamous Madison Square Garden rally, which saw a number of speakers make blatantly racist remarks about Black people, Palestinians, Latinos and particularly about Puerto Rico, the panel got heated and Hasan said as a supporter of Palestinians he was used to people groundlessly accusing him of being an antisemite.
Girdusky then replied, “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off.” The racist quip, which heavily implied that Hasan was a terrorist, was in reference to the recent spate of indiscriminate pager bombings carried out by Israel in Lebanon that killed at least 42 people, including at least 12 civilians, and wounded more than 3,000.
Hasan and the other guests immediately realized Girdusky’s racist implication and called him out on it, with Hasan asking Girdusky whether he wanted Hasan to die. “Did you just say I should die? Did you just say I should be killed live on CNN?” an incredulous Hasan asked.
In a statement after the segment aired, CNN said: “There is zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our air. 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.”
More to come…
