New Yorker (CNN Business) -
Jeffrey Toobin, CNN's chief legal analyst and a renowned reporter for The New Yorker, has been sidelined at a crucial moment in the run-up to the presidential election.
The reason: He exposed himself during a Zoom call with his colleagues in what he says was an accident.
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The New Yorker said it had suspended Toobin after the incident and said it was looking into the matter.
The suspension was first reported by Vice on Monday.
A CNN spokesperson said that "Jeff Toobin has asked for time off while dealing with a personal problem, which we have granted."
None of the media outlets said how long Toobin would be out of commission.
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Normally, Toobin would be busy covering a controversial Supreme Court confirmation and an election that could end up being contested on legal grounds.
An upcoming event related to Toobin's recent book on Trump was also postponed on Monday.
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Toobin declined to comment with a CNN Business reporter, but pointed to his statements to Vice, which indicated the incident was an accident.
"I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, thinking I was off-camera," Toobin said.
"I apologize to my wife, family, friends and coworkers."
"I thought it was not visible on Zoom," he added.
I thought no one on Zoom's call could see me.
I thought I had muted the Zoom video.
