The New Yorker said Monday that it had suspended the staff writer Jeffrey Toobin and was investigating an incident in which he reportedly exposed himself during a Zoom call among employees of the magazine and WNYC radio.
“I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera,†Mr. Toobin said in a statement. “I apologize to my wife, family, friends and co-workers.â€
“I thought I had muted the Zoom video,†he added. “I thought no one on the Zoom call could see me.â€
Vice reported earlier on Monday that The New Yorker was investigating Mr. Toobin’s actions last week on the video call.
Contacted later, Mr. Toobin said in a text message that he would not be elaborating on his statement.
A spokeswoman for The New Yorker, where Mr. Toobin has worked for more than 25 years, said in a statement that Mr. Toobin “has been suspended while we investigate the matter.â€
Mr. Toobin is also a senior legal analyst for CNN. The network said in a statement that Mr. Toobin “has asked for some time off while he deals with a personal issue, which we have granted.â€
Mr. Toobin is the author of nine books, including “The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court,†“The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court†and “Too Close to Call.†His book “The Run of His Life†was adapted for television as the FX series “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson.â€
His latest book is “True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump.†Doubleday, which published the book, did not immediately respond to an inquiry about Mr. Toobin.