A panelist was kicked off CNN host Abby Phillip’s show on Monday after he told another guest, “I hope your pager doesn’t go off” while discussing the rhetoric at former President Donald Trump’s rally in New York City on Sunday.

The comment was made by conservative commentator Ryan Girdusky, founder of the 1776 Project political action committee, to Mehdi Hasan, a progressive commentator of Indian descent and Muslim.

Trump’s event at Madison Square Garden has received a huge backlash after several speakers on stage made inflammatory or racist comments. The controversy follows reports last week that Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly and others who served in the Trump administration said the former president repeatedly praised Nazi Germany’s dictator Adolf Hitler.

Girdusky said this during a heated roundtable discussion CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip that “the media” has called “everyone who attended” Trump’s rally “Hitler” and “a fascist” and supported the former president.

Phillip interrupted Girdusky’s comments and said, “That didn’t happen.” Hasan then commented on Trump’s rally, attacking comments from speakers such as comedian Tony Hinchcliffe and others, who he said used “far-right language.”

“My problem is, I understand, no one wants to be called Nazis. It’s very inflammatory,” Hasan said, adding: “If you don’t want to be called Nazis, stop hurling rhetoric.

Girdusky shot back at Hasan, “You’re being called an anti-Semite more than anyone else at this table,” to which Hasan said, “Because of people like you… I support the Palestinians, I’m used to it.”

Girdusky dismissed that he ever called Hasan an anti-Semite, adding, “Yeah, I hope your pager doesn’t go off.”

Hasan has been a staunch critic of Israel’s military response to the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. Girdusky’s comments appear to refer to an attack using spoofed pagers that Israel carried out on the militant group Hezbollah in September. According to the Associated Press, the attack killed dozens of people and injured thousands of others, including some civilians and children.

Girdusky later apologized but was removed from the conversation after a commercial break. Phillip also told viewers that she wanted to “apologize to Mehdi Hasan” after the commercial break and that Girdusky’s comment was “completely unacceptable.”

“A line has been crossed there, and it’s not acceptable to me,” she said on air. “It’s not acceptable for us on this network. We want discussion. We want people who disagree with each other to talk to each other, but if you cross the line into a complete lack of civility, that won’t happen here on this site to happen.” show.”

Hasan also did not return to Phillip’s panel after the commercial break. Phillip said in a video message to X, formerly Twitter, after the show that CNN has not asked Hasan to leave and that she hopes he “rejoins us soon.” Hasan reposted Phillip’s statement on his own X account.

CNN also released a statement after the incident, saying there is “no room for racism or bigotry” on their broadcasts and that Girdusky “will no longer be welcome on our network.”

Girdusky posted on his Apparently you can’t go on CNN if you make a joke. I’m glad America gets to see what CNN stands for.”

Newsweek has sent a message to Girdusky’s PAC, 1776 Project, asking for comment on Monday night’s incident.

Phillip launched her discussion Monday by showing a compilation of clips from Trump’s meeting in New York. The videos included vulgar comments from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who said in part early in the evening that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of trash.”

Trump’s campaign told it Newsweek that the joke “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

Hinchcliffe also said during his speech on Sunday: “When it comes to Israel and Palestine, we all think the same. Arrange your things already. The best of three. Rock, paper, scissors. You know the Palestinians are going to throw rock every time.”

Phillip also played a clip of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s former personal attorney, saying at the rally: “Palestinians are taught to kill us at age 2… and (Vice President Kamala Harris) she wants you.”

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Taylor of Virginia also sat on Phillip’s panel Monday and condemned Hinchcliffe’s comments about Puerto Rico: “I think it was wrong. I think it was the wrong place to say that.”

When Phillip asked what he thinks about “the rest” of what was said at Trump’s rally, Taylor said, “I think emotions are very high.”

“We’re still eight days away from the election, right? I certainly don’t think either side is innocent of inflammatory rhetoric,” Taylor added, saying he thinks the rhetoric about Trump’s rally resembling a Nazi rally was “much, much worse than what you just played.”

Update 10/29/24, 12:26 PM ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background information.