CNN’s legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin is nowhere to be seen during the murder trial of Derek Chauvin after the liberal network granted him a leave of absence amid a masturbation scandal that cost him a gig at The New Yorker.
Toobin was fired as a staff writer at the prestigious magazine last year after he was caught masturbating during a Zoom call with colleagues.
CNN'S JEFFREY TOOBIN FIRED BY NEW YORKER MAGAZINE FOLLOWING ZOOM CALL MASTURBATION INCIDENT
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. (Getty images)
CNN has not publicly taken action against the tech-challenged Toobin and has remained silent about his status at the network despite hiring contributor Evan Osnos, who is also a New Yorker staff writer and was reportedly an eyewitness to the infamous Zoom call.
The trial of Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd, is underway but CNN’s top legal analyst is notably absent from the network’s coverage even though four months have passed since the network announced he was taking a leave of absence.
CNN did not respond to a series of questions from Fox News on Monday, including Toobin’s current status with the company, whether he is expected to return, and if he is covering the Chauvin trial.
Politico’s Jack Shafer tweeted on Monday, "Somebody should assign Jeffrey Toobin to cover the Chauvin trial."
The New York Times published a lengthy article on the situation in January headlined, "The Undoing of Jeffrey Toobin." In the piece, a CNN staffer hinted the network might give him an opportunity to return and noted he was still employed there.
"Three CNN employees say that network president, Jeff Zucker, is a big fan of Mr. Toobin’s and a believer in second chances," the Times reported.
Last year, TheWrap founder and CEO Sharon Waxman – a women’s rights advocate – wrote 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."
Waxman wrote she "spoke to several prominent women in media" who all agreed a woman would never get away with similar conduct.
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In January, Toobin sent a cryptic tweet declaring he’ll "be back" before quickly deleting it.
"Many thanks. I'l be back," Toobin wrote in the now-deleted tweet on Jan. 6.
It was unclear if Toobin intended to send someone a private message or if he simply had a change of heart and deleted the public message. It was also unclear if he meant he’ll "be back" on CNN.