Conservative radio host Lars Larson blurted out the name of the alleged whistleblower at the heart of the impeachment inquiry Thursday afternoon on Fox News, breaking the network’s recently implemented rule against doing so.
Appearing on Outnumbered Overtime alongside liberal Fox News contributor Leslie Marshall, Larson ranted about the impeachment inquiry process and casually dropped the name of a person right-wing media has publicly alleged to be the whistleblower.
Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner did not push back or react to Larson openly breaking the network’s edict, instead chastising Larson for mocking “people who use different pronouns” (the radio host had earlier snarked about gender pronouns).
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In the wake of conservatives and the president’s son naming the suspected whistleblower, Fox News brass reportedly instructed the network’s hosts and commentators to not do the same.
According to CNN, Fox employees were told that the network had not “independently confirmed [the] name or identification of the anonymous whistleblower.” Furthermore, production staffers were ordered to “NOT fulfill any video or graphic requests” regarding the whistleblower's identity.
Larson told The Hollywood Reporter that he named the alleged whistleblower “because the American people deserve to know the name of the man making the accusation that the Democrats hope to use to remove an American president.”
A Fox News spokesperson gave the following statement to the Daily Beast when reached for comment: “FOX News has not confirmed or independently verified the name of the whistleblower.”
