CNN bans commentator Ryan Girdusky from appearing on network after Mehdi Hasan-attack

CNN has said in a statement that it will no longer present writer Ryan Girdusky on the network, after he made an offensive remark on Mehdi Hasan during a heated panel discussion.
CNN in an official statement said, "There is zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our air.
The network added, "“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.”
The incident occurred during the show NewsNight with Abby Phillip on Monday where Girdusky made a dig at panelist Mehdi Hasan. The panel was discussing Donald Trump's recent rally at Madison Square Garden and the accusations that the Trump campaign is spreading Nazi-style ideas.
Girdusky started talking about how Hasan, a supporter of Palestinians rights, frequently labelled as anti-Semite by his opponents.
Zeteo editor-in-chief Hasan said that he is used to such attack as he is quite vocal for his support of Palestinians.
To which Girdusky commented, "Yeah, well, I hope your beeper doesn’t go off."
The comment refers to a major explosion of pagers and walkie-talkies that took place last month and was linked to alleged Hezbollah members resulting in 37 deaths and thousands of injuries, affecting many civilians. Lebanese officials have accused Israel of the attack. However, Israel denies involvement.
Hasan responded, “Did you just say I should die?” amid a heated discussion. Hasan also suggested that Girdusky was advocating violence against him and criticized CNN for allowing a panelist to hint that “the Muslim guy should be blown up.”
The Independent has reached out to Zeteo for comment. Hasan shared CNN’s condemnation of the comments on social media platform X.
During a live broadcast, tensions rose between commentators Girdusky and Hasan. The confrontation started when Girdusky claimed he thought Hasan supported Hamas. Hasan quickly corrected him, saying, "I said I’m a supporter of Palestinian rights," and added, "At least have the guts to support your racist comment."
The exchange led to both commentators leaving the set during a commercial break. Afterward, host Abby Phillip addressed the incident on air, apologizing to Hasan and the audience, and described Girdusky's comments as "completely unacceptable."
“When we get this discussion started you’ll see that Ryan is not at the table,” she said. “There is a line that was crossed there and it’s not acceptable to me, it’s not acceptable to us at this network.”
“We can have conversations about what is happening in this country without resorting to the lowest of the low kind of discourse,” she said.
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