CNN has banned a conservative commentator from appearing on the network again after he told a Muslim journalist, “I hope your pager doesn’t go off,” an apparent reference to the wave of pager explosions in Lebanon that killed members of the militant group Hezbollah last year were killed. month.

Ryan Girdusky made the comment during a heated debate with Mehdi Hasan, a prominent British-American broadcaster and outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, on “CNN Newsnight” with host Abby Phillip.

The guests discussed comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist jokes, which overshadowed former President Donald Trump’s rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday and are still making headlines two days later.

As the debate heated up, Girdusky and Hasan discussed whether the latter was being labeled an anti-Semite. “I am a supporter of the Palestinians, I am used to it,” Hasan said.

Girdusky replied, “Well, I hope your pager doesn’t go off.”

Hasan replied, “Did you just say I had to die? You just said I should be killed.”

When Phillip made the comment, Girdusky apologized and claimed he heard Hasan say he supported Hamas. After a commercial break, both Girdusky and Hasan had left the roundtable.

“There is no room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our broadcasts,” the network said in a statement Phillip shared on social media. “We strive to promote thoughtful conversations and debates among people who deeply disagree with each other, to explore important issues and promote mutual understanding,” the report said.

“But we will not allow guests to be humiliated or the line of civility to be crossed. Ryan Girdusky will no longer be welcome on our network.”