A come-back announcement made by Jeffrey Toobin, CNN chief legal analyst on Thursday as he returns to the cable network, and acknowledged masturbating while on a Zoom call with colleagues from The New Yorker last year.
A report from The Gateway Pundit in October stated the unfortunate story of the suspension of CNN Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin. At that point, we were trying to determine what it would take to get fired from CNN.
After months, Toobin appeared on television for the first time since the incident for an interview with CNN Newsroom co-host Alisyn Camerota, “To quote Jay Leno, what the hell were you thinking?” Camerota asked.
“Well obviously, I wasn’t thinking very well or very much. It was inexplicable to me. I think one point, I wouldn’t exactly say in my defense, because nothing is really in my defense, but I didn’t think I was on the call. I didn’t think other people could see me,” Toobin said.
Jeffrey Toobin has returned to CNN for the first time since being fired from the New Yorker for masturbating on a Zoom call with his colleagues pic.twitter.com/6ZzBqFDeEo
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 10, 2021
“I’m trying now to say how sorry I am, sincerely. Above all, I am sorry to my wife and my family, but I’m also sorry to the people on the Zoom call. I’m sorry to my former colleagues at The New Yorker. I’m sorry to my current, fortunately, still colleagues at CNN. And I’m sorry to the people who read my work and watched me on CNN who thought I was a better person than this,” said Toobin, seated next to Camerota at the CNN anchor desk. “I’ve got a lot to rebuild, but I feel very privileged and very lucky that I’m going to be able to try to do that.”
CNN confirmed Toobin’s reinstatement as a chief legal analyst but made no further comment. The New Yorker declined to comment.
In confirming Camerota’s description, he added a slight qualification, explaining he wasn’t aware that he was on camera while masturbating.
“I didn’t think other people could see me,” he said. “I thought that I had turned off the Zoom call. Now, that’s not a defense. This was deeply moronic and indefensible.”
Toobin said he started apologizing to New Yorker colleagues the same day.
“They were shocked and appalled. I think they realized that this was not intended for them. I think they realized that this was something that I would immediately regret, as I certainly did,” he said. “And it was then it was that day that I began apologizing. And that is something that I have tried to continue to do, both publicly and privately.”
Vice reported these on October:
At the time, Toobin issued a less-detailed statement.
“I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera. I apologize to my wife, family, friends and co-workers,” he told Vice.
CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin was “caught masturbating on camera” in October and later suspended.Camerota noted the irony of Toobin being caught up in such a scandal after he’s covered many public figures, including former President Bill Clinton, when they faced sexual misconduct allegations. She asked why he didn’t exercise better judgment.
“Because I didn’t have better judgment. Because I’m a flawed human being who makes mistakes,” Toobin responded. “There is no defense for my conduct. The only issue is what should be the consequences. And The New Yorker made one decision about the consequences. CNN made a different decision, fortunately, for which I’m very grateful.”
The New Yorker first suspended, then fired Toobin altogether after 27 years at the magazine on November 11. He’s remained on leave at CNN since October.
Toobin said he’s spent the subsequent “miserable” months “trying to be a better person” through therapy, community service, including working at a food bank and working on a new book about the Oklahoma City bombing.
“I am trying to become the kind of person that people can trust again,” he said.
Sources: The Gateway Pundit, USA Today, Business Insider, Vice
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