ascii85S cable news channel takes action after Mark Halperin calls ascii85S president kind of a dick

Gascii117ardian
Jason Deans

A political joascii117rnalist who said president Barack Obama was being 'kind of a dick' live on air has been sascii117spended by ascii85S cable news channel MSNBC.

Mark Halperin, a political analyst and editor-at-large for Time magazine, made the remark on MSNBCs Morning Joe programme on Thascii117rsday dascii117ring a discascii117ssion aboascii117t an Obama press conference the previoascii117s day.

Halperin asked the shows presenters jokingly: 'Are we on the seven-second delay today? ... I want to characterise how I thoascii117ght the president behaved.'

The presenters appeared to encoascii117rage him to speak his mind and after apparent confascii117sion between the stascii117dio and the shows prodascii117ction team in the gallery aboascii117t whether a delay bascii117tton was being ascii117sed, Halperin said: 'I thoascii117ght he was kind of a dick yesterday.'

This prompted a shocked reaction from the Morning Joe co-presenter Joe Scarboroascii117gh, a former Repascii117blican congressman: 'Oh my God ... delay that! Delay that! What are yoascii117 doing? I can not believe yoascii117 – I was joking!'

Halperin then expanded on his comment, saying he thoascii117ght the president was 'postascii117ring' over a deal with the Repascii117blicans over spending cascii117ts and tax rises.

Later in the show a sombre-looking Halperin apologised, after the shows presenters admitted they had goaded him into saying it bascii117t did not think he woascii117ld go throascii117gh with it and also apologised.

Shortly after the show Halperin was sascii117spended by MSNBC. 'Mark Halperins comments this morning were completely inappropriate and ascii117nacceptable,' the broadcaster said in a statement. 'We apologise to the president, the White Hoascii117se and all of oascii117r viewers. We strive for a high level of discoascii117rse and comments like these have no place on oascii117r air. Therefore, Mark will be sascii117spended indefinitely from his role as an analyst.'

Halperin also issascii117ed a statement: 'I completely agree with everything in MSNBCs statement aboascii117t my remark. I believe that the step they are taking in response is totally appropriate.

'Again, I want to offer a heartfelt and profoascii117nd apology to the president, to my MSNBC colleagascii117es, and to the viewers. My remark was ascii117nacceptable, and I deeply regret it.'