Martin Bashir quits over Sarah Palin jibe

Television host Martin Bashir resigned from US cable news network MSNBC yesterday after making controversial remarks about former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

Martin Bashir: Broadcaster quit MSNBC over Palin remark. Picture: AP

“After meeting with the president of MSNBC, I have tendered my resignation,” Bashir wrote. “I deeply regret what was said.”

In a segment that aired in November, Bashir called Palin a “world class idiot” after she said the United States borrowing money from China is the equivalent of slavery. Bashir added that Palin should be forced to eat excrement, after citing a diary item of a former plantation owner describing punishments for slaves.

In an email, Bashir expressed hope that the network could move beyond the distraction of what he called “my ill-judged comments”.

Bashir first came to prominence when he interviewed Diana, Princess of Wales in 1995.