During a Wednesday appearance on CNN, retired Gen. Wesley Clark flung his cellphone across the room after it rang live on air.
Clark was discussing about foreign affairs, diplomacy, and security forces in Iraq during a remote interview in the moments leading up to the disruption. When the phone went off, he just got it out and tossed it, telling “CNN Newsroom” anchor Jim Sciutto, “Sorry about that.”
“That is the best reaction to a ring I’ve seen on the air,” Sciutto responded. “Nicely done, General.”
The guest noted someone “caught it” off-camera, and then continued discussing Iraq and Iran.
Prior to the offending ring and subsequent throw, the general had been talking about the United States’ reaction to protests that affected the embassy in Baghdad.
“I’m glad we used diplomacy,” he told Sciutto. “I’m glad to see the Iraqi government being able to get its security forces engaged in this point. But this is like by the Iranians … this is like landing a left jab in a 12-round boxing match. This is just one more punch, so they’ve taken out and attacked some Saudi oil facilities. They were put back in place.”
Clark served as a military analyst for CNN during the Iraq War in 2003.
Clark did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the state of the phone after the toss or whether he was able to return the missed call.