One of the most recognizable faces on the right for CNN had to return a payment of $12,000 from the Republican National Committee, Media Matters reports.

Conservative political commentator Alex Castellanos was not aware that the check violated his deal with CNN, and once he learned that it did, he returned the money immediately, according to the report.

Castellanos explained, "I was not aware of the payment because ours is a large business and an employee who handles and processes payments for me dealt with the RNC transaction."

CNN’s response to the incident came in a statement: "Alex told CNN that there had been a mix-up. … Not only did Alex do the right thing by returning the money, he also demonstrated his independence from the party chairman by calling for Michael Steele to step aside."