Jeffrey Ross Toobin[1] (/ˈtuːbɪn/; born May 21, 1960) is an American lawyer, author, blogger, and legal analyst for CNN.[2][3]
During the Iran–Contra affair, Toobin served as an associate counsel on its investigation at the Department of Justice. He moved from government and the practice of law into full-time writing during the 1990s, when he published his first books. He wrote for The New Yorker from 1993 to 2020.[4] Toobin was fired that fall for masturbating on-camera during a Zoom video conference call with co-workers; he apologized for his conduct and stated that he believed his camera was off.[5][6][7][8][9] He continued to serve as legal analyst for CNN for two years.
Toobin wrote a book, Opening Arguments: A Young Lawyer's First Case: United States v. Oliver North (1991),[16] about his work in the Office of Independent Counsel, to which Walsh objected. Toobin had been required to sign multiple agreements to protect the confidentiality of grand jury and internal proceedings of the office. But he had taken thousands of pages of notes with him and based his book on such information, revealing material that Walsh believed should have been held as private. Toobin went to court to affirm his right to publish. Judge John F. Keenan of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York wrote an opinion that Toobin and his publisher had the right to release this book. The book was published before Walsh's appeal could be decided, mooting the case. Accordingly, the Circuit Court vacated the lower court's decision and ordered the dismissal of the case.[17]
After three years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Toobin resigned from the U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn, and abandoned "the practice of law."[citation needed] He started working as a writer in 1993 at The New Yorker and in 1996 became a television legal analyst for ABC.
He published books on some of these cases: The Run of His Life: The People v OJ Simpson (1997), and A Vast Conspiracy (1999), about the investigation of Clinton for the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. Each of these books was later adapted for television, the Simpson case as a mini-series, and the Clinton as an episode.
In 2000 Toobin received an Emmy Award for his coverage of the Elián González custody saga, which had resulted in the return of the boy from the United States to communist-led Cuba.
Toobin joined CNN in 2002[18] as a legal analyst. In 2003, he secured the first interview with Martha Stewart about the insider trading charges against her.[4]
Toobin speaking about the Supreme Court at the John J. Rhodes Lecture in Tempe, Arizona
He wrote True Crimes and Misdemeanors, the Investigation of Donald Trump (2020), described as a "summation for the jury" against the character and presidency of Donald Trump, as if he were on trial.[20]
On August 12, 2022, Toobin announced via Twitter that he would leave CNN after 20 years. His last day on air was August 4.[21] In February 2024, Toobin began appearing again on CNN as a frequent guest, offering analysis on both president Biden and former president Trump's current legal situations.[22]
Adaptations
Two of Toobin's books were adapted for television. His book on the OJ Simpson trial was adapted as The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, a 2016 mini-series comprising the first season of the FX true-crime anthology series.[23]
On October 19, 2020, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toobin was suspended from The New Yorker after he masturbated on camera during a Zoom video call between New Yorker and WNYC radio staffers.[5][6][7][8][9] CNN said Toobin "has asked for some time off while he deals with a personal issue, which we have granted". Toobin said in a statement: "I made an embarrassingly stupid mistake, believing I was off-camera. I apologize to my wife, family, friends and co-workers."[25] In November 2020 he was fired from The New Yorker, following an internal investigation by the parent organization, Condé Nast.[26]New York Public Radio, which owns WNYC, indefinitely banned Toobin from its broadcasts and podcasts.[5]
Toobin was widely ridiculed in the wake of the incident by, among others, O. J. Simpson, Jimmy Fallon, Bill Maher, Donald Trump Jr., and performers on Saturday Night Live.[27] Defenders included Tina Brown, a former New Yorker editor, who said that "27 years of superb reporting and commitment to The New Yorker should have been weighed against an incident that horribly embarrassed the magazine but mostly embarrassed himself." Author and journalist Malcolm Gladwell said he "read the Condé Nast news release, and I was puzzled because I couldn't find any intellectual justification for what they were doing."[5]
On June 10, 2021, Toobin returned to CNN as its chief legal analyst. He described his conduct as "deeply moronic and indefensible" and said he "didn't think other people could see [him]", but admitted that this was no defense for his behavior. He said the time he spent off air went toward "trying to be a better person", working on his upcoming book about the Oklahoma City bombing, going to therapy, and working at a food bank.[28]
Personal life
Toobin in 2017
In 1986, Toobin married Amy Bennett McIntosh, whom he met in college while they worked at The Harvard Crimson. She is a 1980 Harvard graduate, holds an MBA degree from Harvard Business School,[1][13] and has held executive positions at Verizon Communications and Zagat Survey.[29] They have two adult children, a daughter and son.[29]
Toobin had a longtime off-and-on extramarital affair with attorney Casey Greenfield, the daughter of American television journalist and author Jeff Greenfield and his first wife, Carrie Carmichael. Casey Greenfield was formerly married to screenwriter Matt Manfredi.[30] Greenfield gave birth to Toobin's son in 2009; Toobin initially resisted acknowledging the boy. Toobin's paternity was confirmed with a DNA test as part of a suit by Greenfield for custody and child support.[31]
^Darcy, Oliver (August 12, 2022). "CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin will exit network after 20 years". CNN Business. Jeffrey Toobin said Friday that he will depart CNN, where he served most recently as chief legal analyst...Toobin, who was last on air August 4th, added, "Love all my former colleagues."
^ abBauder, David (June 20, 2021). "Jeffrey Toobin returns to CNN after Zoom call incident". Associated Press. CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin returned to the network Thursday for the first time in more than seven months after he was caught masturbating on a Zoom call with former colleagues at The New Yorker.
^Penguin Books USA, Inc.; Jeffrey R. Toobin v. Lawrence E. Walsh; Office of Independent Counsel, 929 F.2d 69 (United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. March 1991).
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