When the Editor-at-Large of one of the most prestigious publications in the world refers to you as a “d*ck,” that’s when you know you’re in for an interesting day.
Mark Halperin, who is also an analyst for MSNBC, made the comment when referencing the president’s most recent news conference.
“I thought he was kind of a d*** yesterday,” he said on the MSNBC show, “Morning Joe.” Halperin claimed that President Obama’s attitude during the news conference was somewhat testy and that he was generally uncooperative with the media. Additionally, the technician in the sound control booth hit the wrong button, so the words were broadcast on the air.
At the end of the segment, Halperin nervously apologized to the president and the viewers who’d heard what he said. That didn’t stop the network from suspending him and apologizing to the White House.
Halperin started his odd comment by asking, “Are we on the seven-second delay today?”
This seemed to signal that Halperin was testing the waters to ensure that his vulgarities would not be heard on the air. He was then egged on by Joe Scarborough, who said, “Take a chance. Have faith.”
After hearing Halperin’s remarks, Scarborough said, “I was joking. Don’t do that! Did we delay that?” The producers then told him that the remarks were not censored, leading him to apologize to Halperin. “We’re sorry that we left you hanging out there. It’s our fault,” the host said.
MSNBC had this to say in a statement.
“Mark Halperin’s comments this morning were completely inappropriate and unacceptable. We apologize to the President, The White House and all of our viewers. We strive for a high level of discourse and comments like these have no place on our air. Therefore, Mark will be suspended indefinitely from his role as an analyst.”
