Conservative commentator Ryan Girdusky was removed from a CNN discussion panel on Monday and banned from the network after he appeared to suggest that fellow panelist and journalist Mehdi Hasan was a member of Hezbollah during a heated discussion about the controversies surrounding former president Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.
The CNN logo at the entrance to the CNN Center in Atlanta on Feb. 2, 2022.
During a discussion about former President Donald Trump’s weekend rally at Madison Square Garden, former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan said he understood that nobody wants to be called a Nazi and the label was inflammatory but added: “if you don’t want to be called Nazis, stop doing things [associated with Nazis].”
Girdusky interrupted saying Hasan has been called an antisemite “more than anyone else at this table” to which the journalist responded by saying it was Girdusky who was calling him that and this was because he supports Palestinians—“so I’m used to it.”
Girdusky then interjected, “Yeah, well, I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” appearing to suggest that Hasan who is Muslim is linked to Hezbollah—the Iran-back militant group whose pagers suddenly exploded last month in a suspected Israeli attack.
Hasan responded by asking, “Did you just say I should die? Did you just say I should be killed live on CNN?” he then asked the network if its guest just said, “I should be killed on live TV?”
Girdusky’s comment was then called out by the host Abby Phillip who said it was “completely out of pocket, you know that.”
When the show next returned from a break Girdusky had been removed from the panel and Phillip said, “First I want to apologize to Mehdi Hasan for what was said at this table it was completely unacceptable.”
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Shortly after the broadcast, CNN issued a statement saying: “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…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.”
Girdusky lashed out at the network in a post on X, saying: “You can stay on CNN if you falsely call every Republican a Nazi and have taken money from Qatar-funded media. Apparently you can’t go on CNN if you make a joke. I’m glad America gets to see what CNN stands for.”
Hasan also did not reappear on the show after the commercial break, leading to some speculation that he was also asked to leave. In a video post on X, Phillip clarified: “We did not ask Mehdi to not come back. In fact, we really wanted him to come back and finish the show. We had a lot to talk to him about, and we really hope that he’ll join us again soon.” Hasan has not yet commented on the incident, but he reposted Phillip’s statement on X.
Girdusky is a Republican political consultant and author of the book, “They're Not Listening: How The Elites Created the National Populist Revolution.” Shortly after he appeared on CNN, officials from the Harris campaign were quick to point out his ties with Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance. Girdusky is listed as an advisory board member of the conservative group American Moment—which also lists Vance as a “Board Members Emeritus.” American Moment is one of the several conservative organizations listed on the Project 2025 website as an Advisory Board member. Girdusky is also the founder of the 1776 Project PAC, a nationwide conservative political action committee that is focused on school board elections.
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