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Jeffrey Tobin in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, February 7, 2018.
Scott Strazant | San Francisco Chronicle | Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images
CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Tobin returned to television Thursday, eight months after revealing himself to fellow New Yorker and WNYC radio colleagues during a video conference.
Tobin appeared with anchor Allysin Camerota, who opened the clip by asking the former Justice Department attorney and longtime legal reporter, “To quote Jay Leno,” What the hell were you thinking? “
Tobin replied, “Obviously I didn’t think too well or too much. It was something inexplicable to me.”
Toobin was seen masturbating during an October Zoom call with his co-workers which was supposed to be a simulation of the upcoming presidential election at the time. Some individuals on the call said they did not believe Toobin was intended to be seen by his colleagues, a point Toobin reiterated on Thursday.
“I thought I turned off the Zoom call. Now, that’s not a defense. This was so stupid and untenable, but that’s part of the story,” Tobin told Camerota.
Toobin was fired by The New Yorker after the incident, ending a 27-year career at the magazine. At the time, CNN said Tobin requested leave and the media granted her leave.
Tobin said Thursday that he thought his expulsion from the magazine was excessive but noted, “I’m the worst person to ask that question.”
“I thought this sentence was excessive,” Tobin said, “but that’s why they didn’t ask the offender to be the judge in his case.”
Tobin said he’s used the past months to try and become a better person, noting that he’s been volunteering at a food bank, working on a book about the Oklahoma City bombing, and going for therapy.
His return to the news network comes at a time when print and broadcast media alike are grappling with how to handle inappropriate employee comments and behavior, especially in cases of actions not directly related to work.
The broader account in the industry has also drawn criticism for double standards, with prominent journalists seeing relatively little discipline over perceived ethical violations, while some younger employees have faced dismissal for more nebulous crimes.
Toobin’s return also comes shortly after CNN fired another high-profile contributor, former Republican Senator Rick Santorum. Santorum came under fire from Native American groups after he gave a speech in April saying the United States “was born out of nothing. I mean, there was nothing here.”
“I mean, yeah, we have Native Americans,” Santorum said. “But frankly, this is — there’s not a lot of Native American culture in American culture.”
Santorum later said he got it wrong. “CNN has the right to fire me,” he said in an appearance on Fox News in May.
He added, “If they don’t like what I say or what I do, they have the right to fire me. I have absolutely no animosity toward CNN.”
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