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CNN has barred conservative commentator Ryan James Girdusky from future appearances following a remark he made on air, which seemed to suggest that another guest, Mehdi Hasan, was affiliated with Hezbollah. The exchange took place on Monday’s NewsNight With Abby Phillip, during a panel discussion over former President Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden.
During the debate, Mr. Hasan pointed out that he is often labeled antisemitic due to his support for Palestinian causes, to which Mr. Girdusky responded, “Yeah, well, I hope your beeper doesn’t go off.” The comment appeared to reference a historical Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah members in Lebanon, which many viewers and panelists interpreted as offensive.
Host Abby Phillip intervened immediately, calling the comment “completely out of pocket.” When the program returned from a commercial break, Mr. Girdusky was absent from the set. CNN later issued a statement underscoring its commitment to civility and banning Mr. Girdusky from future appearances.
Girdusky, author of They’re Not Listening: How the Elites Created the National Populist Revolution, defended his comment on Tuesday, asserting that he was banned over “a joke” and later shared his perspective in a Substack post about being blacklisted from cable news networks.
