Hit with more fallout from an Oct. 12 incident in which he was caught masturbating on a Zoom Conference call, 60-year old Harvard Law School graduate Jeffrey Toobin was fired by New York Magazine after 27 years. Toobin was Chief CNN Legal Analyst until he got into a whole lot of legal hot water, accidentally exposing himself to his colleagues, embarrassing himself, his co-workers, The New Yorker and CNN. CNN granted Tobin and extended leave of absence Oct. 19 but it hard to see the notoriously liberal and anti-Trump news network taking him back anytime soon. “As a result of our investigation, Jeffrey Toobin is no longer affiliated with the company,” The New Yorker company spokesman said in colossal understatement. Other than watching the video of Toobin abusing himself, what kind of investigation is the New Yorker talking about?
Toobin made millions off his 1996 book, “The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson, eventually adapted Feb. 2, 2016 in a successful FX True Crime mini-series based on his best-selling book. Toobin capitalized on the infamous O.J. Trial where his former Harvard Constitutional law professor Alan Dershowitz served on O.J.’s “dream team” led by the late criminal defense icon Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Toobin was CNN’s legal analyst covering the O.J. Trial, learning firsthand from one of the best, most flamboyant criminal defense teams, including Robert Shapiro, F. Lee Bailey, Alan Dershowitiz and Barry Scheck. Toobin watched from gallery covering the trial for CNN, mesmerized watching Johnnie Cochran snake-charm the jury, eventually beating Los Angeles County District Attorney prosecutors Oct. 3, 1995 led by DA Gil Garcetti, Marsha Clark and Christopher Darden
Toobin launched his media career at the New Yorker and CNN off his notoriety covering the O.J. Trial. Toobin figured out, along with everyone else from the O.J. Trial, that he could capitalize on the trial that mesmerized the nation, giving ordinary citizens their first look inside the criminal courtroom of Judge Lance Ito where Johnnie Cochran dazzled a largely African American jury. Watching Toobin self-destruct, masturbating on a Zoom Conference call for all to see, represents a new low in reality TV.
Toobin learned about reality TV covering the O.J. trial and found out the hard way what happens when you become the story. “I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera. I apologize to my wife, family, friends and co-workers. I believed I was not visible on Zoom. I thought no one on the Zoom call could see me. I thought I had muted the Zoom video,” Toobin said Oct. 20.
Toobin’s mea culpa had a number of problems, admitting that he did something inexcusable, to masturbate while he was supposedly in a Zoom meeting. Toobin’s mistake was more about his sickness and arrogance that left his employers, CNN and the New Yorker, unwilling to work with him on a rehab plan. Ordinarily, unfortunate, inadvertent or regrettable actions can find some sympathy, especially from employers with whom there’s a long, productive relationship. Serving as CNN chief legal analyst, Toobin was an integral part of the cable network’s anti-Trump spin machine that succeeded in upending his second term. Toobin would have celebrated with other CNN hosts and pudits, all yucking-it-up now that Trump’s denied reelection. What struck New Yorker executive was how obviously casual Toobin took his job, masturbating while in a meeting with his colleagues.
CNN’s kidding itself thinking they can put Jeffrey on the air anytime soon, already riddled with credibility problems over their extreme bias against Trump. Once the dust settles after the 2020 election, the Federal Communication Commission [FCC] must look into the media’s egregious bias against Trump campaign and presidency. No credentialed news organization can conspire with a Political Party to use the public airwaves to present one-sided news. Trump could easily argue in court that he was denied due process by CNN and other anti-Trump networks, essentially disenfranchising voters by denying access to vital news that questioned 77-year-old Joe Biden’s integrity as a Democrat Party nominee. CNN and the New York Times censored a credible Oct. 14 story in the New York Post exposing Joe’s illegal business deals in Communist China, netting his family millions.
Toobin was a integral part of CNN’s anti-Trump spin machine before he self-destructed on Zoom Conferencing. Exposing himself masturbating was a slap in the face to the New Yorker and his colleagues because it showed how he doesn’t take his job very seriously. Toobin called his unforgivable acts a “mistake,” but it was much more than a mistake: It was complete contempt for his job. Toobin’s public display would be no different than if he were snorting lines of cocaine or hitting on a joint while trying to look like he was working. New Yorker’s front office couldn’t justify continuing Toobin’s employment because he cavalierly breached his work contract, engaging his the most insulting behavior imaginable. Toobm may be brilliant but he clearly needs some urgent psychotherapy to figure out how his runaway self-destruction impulses hit his career with a wrecking ball.
