Charles Kaiser, an author and blogger, used the n-word on CNN on Tuesday while claiming to quote Stephen Bannon, Donald Trump's senior White House counselor — drawing a sharp rebuke from anchor Brooke Baldwin.
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While criticizing the president-elect's appointments of people associated with the white nationalist alt-right movement, Kaiser said, "If you don’t want support of the alt right, don’t choose as a White House counselor a man who used the word 'nigger,' whose wife says he did not want his daughters to go to a school with too many Jews..."
CNN host Brooke Baldwin then interrupted Kaiser, saying, "Charles, hold on a second. I appreciate you going through all of this, but please don't use the n-word on my show."
"I'm sorry," Kaiser responded. "I never use the n-word except when I'm quoting someone who has been appointed by the president to serve in the Oval Office, since this is such a disgusting moment in our history."
At the end of the segment, Baldwin, who appeared upset and close to tears, reprimanded Kaiser, saying, "The more I've sat here and listened to the fact that somebody used the n-word on this show... It is not okay."
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"Charles Kaiser, I respect you, I enjoy having you on as a guest, but...not okay."
She also questioned his claim that Bannon used the n-word: "By the way, the claim that Mr. Bannon used the n-word — I've never heard of this. So there's that."
"Take a break," she told her studio team, while shaking her head.
She later took to Twitter to condemn the moment again:
Whether you're quoting someone or not, using the n-word on my show is not okay. Period.
BuzzFeed News reached out to Baldwin's representative for comment.