The Independent reports:
CNN has said it will no longer feature appearances from writer Ryan Girdusky, after he made a comment amid a chaotic and bad tempered panel discussion appearing to say he hoped that a Muslim journalist got blown up in a bomb attack. The incident began during a panel on Monday, when Girdusky and fellow panelist Mehdi Hasan were discussing Donald Trump’s recent rally at Madison Square Garden.
Girdusky began to make a comment about labels, and how Hasan, an outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights, is frequently branded an antisemite by his opponents. Hasan, editor-in-chief of the news site Zeteo, said he’s used to the attack, given his vocal support for Palestinians. “Yeah, well, I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” Girdusky then said. “Did you just say I should die?” Hasan responded.
Read the full article. The incident went wildly viral overnight and the first clip below has 17 million views at this writing. Girdusky is a former Vance advisor and once wrote for notorious white nationalist Richard Spencer. Many are questioning why he was on the panel in the first place. As you can see below, GOP Rep. Darryl Issa is a fan of his. Give the tweets below a minute to load to tell the full story.
Girdusky to Hasan: I hope your beeper doesn’t go off pic.twitter.com/YmHhYnkDZ3
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 29, 2024
Ryan Gidursky is a former staffer for JD Vance, and this clip is being widely celebrated among MAGA accounts I follow: https://t.co/Ja90wB0OUz
— Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) October 29, 2024
It wasn’t easy, but I watched some CNN tonight.
Thought @RyanGirdusky brought a lot to the program.
— Rep. Darrell Issa (@repdarrellissa) October 29, 2024
Are you insane? pic.twitter.com/nD5XrpKMT1
— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) October 29, 2024
Imagine spending all your time on a panel to defend the Madison Garden Klan Rally with a straight face and then say this to Mehdi Hasan. I hope he checks in somewhere for help tonight. pic.twitter.com/st9Tp4qi6o
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) October 29, 2024
From writing for Richard Spencer to appearing on CNN! What a glow up for Ryan Girdusky!!! Congrats to all involved! https://t.co/h6lwA302C2
— amanda 🐢 (@noturtlesoup17) October 29, 2024
Thankfully, CNN removed Ryan Girdusky from the panel.
“First, I want to apologize to Mehdi Hasan for what was said at this table. It was completely unacceptable. When we get this discussion started, you’ll see that Ryan is not at the table. There is a line that was crossed.” https://t.co/RicskqV2zf pic.twitter.com/nOmiprbq1s
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) October 29, 2024
>> @CNNPR just released a statement about this: “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… https://t.co/zjUkqWlEtV
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 29, 2024
And just closing the loop on Ryan Girdusky, he is a full-on racist and radical Christian supremacist who has written for racist activist Richard Spencer.
He has been running an operation to block Black and LGBT authors from school curricula.
He should’ve never been on CNN. pic.twitter.com/XBzleKUcjZ
— Matthew Sheffield (@mattsheffield) October 29, 2024
The beeper attack was against Hezbollah, not Hamas. But he repeatedly demonstrates he doesn’t know the difference when trying to wiggle his way out of this after @mehdirhasan unleashes on him.
These people aren’t just racist, they’re also incredibly stupid. https://t.co/st1WBiDiS6
— jordan (@JordanUhl) October 29, 2024