Mehdi Hasan Addresses Racist Beeper Comment CNN Panelist Made About Him

Political commentator Medhi Hasan has spoken out about Monday nights CNN broadcast in which a conservative panelist on air with him implied he was a member of Hezbollah and supporter of Hamas.

Hasan, a British American journalist born to Indian Shia Muslim parents, said receiving the comment from fellow panelist Ryan Girdusky who has since been banned from the network was one of the most shocking experiences of his career.

Never in my 25 years as a journalist and 15 years of doing live TV, have I been so stunned by what was said to me that I had to walk off set in the middle of a live show, as I did on Monday night on CNN, Hasan, who runs the media company Zeteo, said in a video posted to social media.

The incident happened on Mondays episode of NewsNight With Abby Phillip when Girdusky a pro-Donald Trump personality whos made several recent appearances on the network  said, Yeah, well, I hope your beeper doesnt go off, after Hasan expressed support for Palestinians.

Last month, at least 37 people were killed and thousands injured after hundred of pagers possessed by suspected Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon spontaneously exploded. The attack is widely believed to have been carried out by Israel. 

Hasan was gobsmacked. Did you just say I should die? he asked in disbelief. Did you just say I should be killed on live TV?

The show broke for a commercial, and when it returned, Girdusky was gone and Phillip denounced his behavior. There is a line that was crossed there, and its not acceptable to me, she said.

In his video response Wednesday, Hasan said Girduskys remark was a clear racist attack.

When he sees a Muslim in front of him, he sees Hamas, he said, adding that he believes the beeper comment is a line that wasnt a joke and that he almost certainly came preprepared with, thinking he could get away with it on live national television.

Hasan also thanked co-panelist Ashley Allison, a senior official with President Joe Biden s 2020 campaign, for condemning Girdusky on air.

Where would we be as a country without Black women holding the line against racism and bigotry, and showing us what solidarity looks like? he said of Allison.

Shortly after the incident on Monday, Girdusky criticized Hasan on social media, falsely accusing him of referring to all Republicans as Nazis, and slammed the network, saying: Apparently you cant go on CNN if you make a joke. Im glad America gets to see what CNN stands for.