Commentator insults ex-girlfriend on CSPAN2

It's safe to say that most CSPAN viewers regard the public-affairs cable channel as an oasis from the combative, uncomfortably personal fare aired regularly on tabloid talk shows and reality TV. So it presumably came as something of a shock to the CSPAN faithful to see a conservative panelist publicly airing his past relationship troubles during a discussion recently aired on CSPAN2.

Conservative commentator Todd Seavey lobbed some pointed insults at ex-girlfriend Helen Rittelmeyer, an associate editor at National Review, while discussing their political differences on the panel, the Daily Caller reports. They were there to discuss their entries in a new collection of essays edited by the National Review's Jonah Goldberg called "Proud to Be Right."

"I probably should confess that Helen and I dated for two years, so we've sparred about many things," Seavey said. "It might come as a surprise to some of you that we dated for two years, not just because we have ideological differences, but because there are probably some people in this room who also dated Helen during those two years, given how tumultuous it got. It was sort of on again, off again."

He then accused her of saying she wanted to set up a couple and then "seduce" the man away just for fun, at which point Rittelmeyer says, "Is all this going on CSPAN?"

You can watch the video below:

Rittelmayer responded to The Daily Caller: "As a matter of policy, I don't comment on my personal life in public, but I will clarify that his tirade thoroughly mischaracterizes my political views." She told Seavey his speech was "out of bounds" at about the 44:50 mark in the full video of the panel here.

(Photo: Getty)