C-SPAN forced into 7-second delay after caller’s racist tirade against Obama

C-SPAN was forced to trigger a 7-second delay during Sunday’s edition of “Washington Journal” after a caller used a racial slur against former President Obama and called for his death.

A man identified as a Republican named Christopher was connected to host Paul Orgel, Washington Post columnist Paul Waldman and Washington Examiner politics editor Jim Antle during the “open phones” segment.

“Barack Obama is an illegal alien,” the man, who said he was from White Haven, Pa., said.

{mosads} The audio is suddenly cut and Waldman’s eyebrows raise at whatever the caller continued to say. 

The opinion writer later took to Twitter to detail what happened.

“The most exciting part of my appearance on C-SPAN this morning was definitely when a caller shouted ‘Death to the ni**er Obama!” he wrote.

The most exciting part of my appearance on C-SPAN this morning was definitely when a caller shouted “Death to the ni**er Obama!”

— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman1) August 19, 2018

“Let’s try to get somebody who has something constructive to add to the conversation,” Orgel said. 

The Hill has reached out to C-SPAN for comment. 

It’s not particularly unusual for C-SPAN callers to spout off controversially.

A caller thanked the Russians on-air last month for interfering in the 2016 presidential election, asking “what would we do with Hillary in that White House?”  

C-SPAN alerted the FBI about one caller who appeared to threaten CNN host Brian Stelter and CNN anchor Don Lemon earlier this month. 

Stelter aired the clip of the man, identified as Don, threatening to shoot the two CNN personalities.

“They don’t even know these Americans out here and they are calling us racists because we voted for Trump?” the caller said. “Come on. Give me a break. They started the war. I see them, I’m going to shoot them.”