It has been nearly a month since CNN's star legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin was fired from his job as a staff writer at the New Yorker magazine following an investigation into an incident in which he was caught masturbating on a Zoom call with colleagues.
But the hyper-partisan CNN hasn’t said a word about Toobin’s future despite its latest hire reportedly being a witness to the lewd act.
Toobin’s X-rated controversy began when Vice reported in October that Toobin exposed himself to staffers of the New Yorker and members of WNYC radio during a Zoom call earlier this year. The publication then added a salacious update--that, according to two sources, Toobin was seen masturbating during the virtual meeting.
CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin allegedly masturbated during a Zoom call with colleagues.
The incident was enough for the prestigious magazine to fire Toobin after an investigation, but CNN hasn’t condemned his alleged actions.
If CNN has any questions about the situation, network honchos can ask Evan Osnos, the network’s newest contributor, who is also a staff writer at The New Yorker and was reportedly an eyewitness to Toobin’s alleged misconduct.
CNN'S JEFFREY TOOBIN FIRED BY NEW YORKER MAGAZINE FOLLOWING ZOOM CALL MASTURBATION INCIDENT
The infamous call, described as an "election simulation," featured Osnos playing Joe Biden, along with other New Yorker writers such as Jane Mayer, Masha Gessen, Andrew Marantz, Jelani Cobb, Sue Halpern and Dexter Filkins playing various roles in potential 2020 outcomes, according to Vice.
CNN media pundit Brian Stelter – who was mocked for offering a peculiar description of the alleged self-pleasuring – touted Osnos’ new gig in his most recent media newsletter. Osnos was even a guest on Stelter’s “Reliable Sources” media program on Sunday but the liberal host didn’t bother to ask his new colleague about the Toobin situation.
CNN did not immediately respond when asked on Monday for an update on Toobin’s status.
The incident occurred during what was supposed to be a 10-minute "strategy session" among the various role-playing groups. However, the sources told Vice that it "seemed like Toobin was on a second video call."
"The sources said that when the groups returned from their breakout rooms, Toobin lowered the camera," Vice reported. "The people on the call said they could see Toobin touching his penis. Toobin then left the call. Moments later, he called back in, seemingly unaware of what his colleagues had been able to see, and the simulation continued."
BRIAN STELTER MOCKED FOR CALLING CNN COLLEAGUE JEFFREY TOOBIN'S MASTURBATION SCANDAL AN 'ACCIDENT'
Last month, TheWrap founder and CEO Sharon Waxman wrote that Toobin’s situation “reeks of male privilege” and asked where CNN has been.
“When your job is to weigh facts and render conclusions that shape public opinion, one’s own judgment should matter,” Waxman wrote, noting that CNN has “persistently avoided all questions about his future at the network.”
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Waxman wrote that she “spoke to several prominent women in media” who all agreed that a woman would never be able to get away with similar actions.
“It's fair, I think, to demand not just journalistic rigor and accuracy from the powerful people who are privileged to be on the air and in print, but good judgment and, yes, self-discipline,” Waxman wrote.
Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
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