Leftists experienced a mass meltdown on Wednesday after Donald Trump Jr. tweeted a Breitbart News article containing the alleged name of the “whistleblower” at the crux of the partisan impeachment inquiry, even though the name has been public for weeks.

RealClearInvestigations claimed in a report last week that Eric Ciaramella, an analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, is the alleged “whistleblower” at the heart of the partisan impeachment inquiry, although his name had been floating around weeks prior to RealClearInvestigations’ report. The “whistleblower’s” legal team refused to confirm or deny his or her identity.

Nonetheless, the analyst is widely believed to be the “whistleblower” who sparked a political firestorm after expressing concerns over President Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite lacking firsthand knowledge of the conversation itself.

On Wednesday, Breitbart News reported that Ciaramella possessed links to those who crafted the infamous anti-Trump dossier, which largely sparked the Trump-Russia investigation – an investigation that found no such collusion, much to Trump’s critics’ dismay.

As Breitbart News reported:

Eric Ciaramella, whom Real Clear Investigations suggests is the likely so-called whistleblower, was part of an Obama administration email chain celebrating the eventual signing of a $1 billion U.S. loan guarantee to Ukraine. That and other emails show Ciaramella interfaced about Ukraine with individuals who played key roles in facilitating the infamous anti-Trump dossier produced by Fusion GPS and reportedly financed by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee. One of those individuals, then-Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland (pictured), received updates on Ukraine issues from dossier author Christopher Steele in addition to Nuland’s direct role in the dossier controversy.

Donald Trump Jr. on Wednesday tweeted the Breitbart News report, sparking a flurry of outrage online:

Because of course he did!!!

Alleged ‘Whistleblower’ Eric Ciaramella Worked Closely with Anti-Trump Dossier Hoaxer https://t.co/v5kDe0X62u — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 6, 2019

“Ciaramella’s name has been tweeted out by Trump supporters repeatedly in the past month. But now, for the first time, the president’s eldest son has tweeted out an article with his name,” journalist Yashar Ali wrote in a now-deleted tweet.

“Ciaramella, according to 3 sources, is indeed the whistleblower,” he added, adding confusion to his seeming condemnation:

Note that @DonaldJTrumpJr merely tweeted an article that alleges (in the headline) who the whistleblower is, but @yashar tweeted as a confirmed news from 3 sources that Eric Ciaramella is indeed the WB. Basically, Yashar Ali outed the WB! cc @DRUDGE pic.twitter.com/74C167NKx2 — Yossi Gestetner (@YossiGestetner) November 6, 2019

“I love the outrage about me tweeting an article about the ‘alleged’ whistleblower… also good to know you have other sources confirming,” Trump wrote in response to Ali.

“Those thinking I coordinated with The White House to tweet out a @BreitbartNews article haven’t been watching my feed much,” he added. “Didn’t happen!”

I love the outrage about me tweeting an article about the “alleged” whistleblower… also good to know you have other sources confirming. Those thinking I coordinated with The White House to tweet out a @BreitbartNews article haven’t been watching my feed much. Didn’t happen! https://t.co/CEOZBmcX4p — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 6, 2019

While mainstream media outlets have refused to identify the “whistleblower,” the name has been public. Despite that, outrage, particularly from the “whistleblower’s” lawyers and mainstream news outlets, continues to pour in:

1/WB NEWS ALERT:https://t.co/N28BVKvk6i Statement of November 6, 2019, Concerning the Suspected Identity of the Whistleblower Identifying any suspected name for the whistleblower will place that individual and their family at risk of serious harm. — Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) November 6, 2019

END/We will note, however, that publication or promotion of name shows desperation to deflect from substance of #whistleblower complaint. It will not relieve the President of the need to address the substantive allegations, all of which have been substantially proven to be true. — Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) November 6, 2019

Shocking. @DonaldJTrumpJr today tweeted out the name of alleged whistleblower. They just don't care about the laws, rules, norms. Hoping someday America will return to some sense of normal. — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) November 6, 2019

To the thugs tweeting out the name of a purported whistleblower: This may or may not be the whistleblower, but you are endangering the safety of every member of this person's family. This sort of intimidation tactic is for broken authoritarian countries and the mob. Shame on you! — Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) November 6, 2019

Publicly naming a whistleblower doesn’t harm just the person who came forward, it’s intimidation to prevent others from doing so. Trump claims Ukraine was about preventing public corruption, but now campaigns to intimidate witnesses who might bring public corruption to light here https://t.co/sHYoOteVsf — Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) November 6, 2019

Remember when trump told us his sons would not be involved in politics and then they went on fox every godddamn night and junior outed a lawfully protected whistleblower? — Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) November 6, 2019

How is illegally circulating the name of someone protected by whistleblower laws, thus putting them at risk, not a violation of Twitter rules, @jack? Anyone who did that should be immediately banned. They should also be prosecuted & if your rules permit it, so should you. — David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) November 6, 2019

Trump's now apparently successful effort to expose the identity of the whistleblower is a dangerous and chilling abuse of power intended to silence others who patriotically report evidence of his corruption. Regardless, the already substantiated facts against him are damning. — Evan McMullin (@EvanMcMullin) November 6, 2019

Just because Donald Trump Jr helps assist in a criminal act of outing a whistleblower doesn’t mean the media or any of us should be his accomplice by amplifying his tweet or naming the whistleblower — Roland Scahill (@rolandscahill) November 6, 2019

Whistleblower atty @MarkSZaidEsq on a member of the president’s family tweeting out a story on a pro-Trump website allegedly naming the whistleblower: "Identifying any name for the whistleblower will simply place that individual and their family at risk of serious harm…. — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 6, 2019

3/“… It most certainly will not relieve the President of the need to address the substantive allegations, all of which have been substantially proven to be true.” — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 6, 2019

In covering Donald Trump Jr. tweet, NBC News says it "is not reporting the name of the whistleblower as long as that person wishes to remain anonymous, due to security and safety concerns" https://t.co/7eK7UdMgDr pic.twitter.com/dwNvgclhP8 — Michael Calderone (@mlcalderone) November 6, 2019

I'm afraid for the whistleblower. I've been targeted by Trump before, and I know what it's like when he has media working to cover for him, to be afraid to leave my apartment, and fake allies stand clear so that they don't get splattered as I'm pummeled, then look the other way. — Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) November 6, 2019

Shouldn’t @jack ban users who break the law and threaten someone’s life? Why then does #DonaldTrumpJr still have an account? I reported him. If everyone here did the same it might get @jack attention. He illegally outed and knowingly endangered the safety of alleged whistleblower — Nancy Lee Grahn (@NancyLeeGrahn) November 6, 2019

And then had his son out the whistleblower very cute https://t.co/57Qj619UcZ — Joe Lockhart (@joelockhart) November 6, 2019

Attempts by the president and congressional Republicans to publicly identify the whistleblower are inexcusable and must stop. These efforts are nothing more than an attempt to distract the public from a legitimate investigation of serious allegations made against the president. pic.twitter.com/NdbRhmHQjj — Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) November 6, 2019

Allies have counseled the president not to unveil the whistleblower’s identity. So, he shifted to a new tactic, denouncing the media for allegedly protecting the whistleblower, allowing him to charge that it's in cahoots with Democrats and the Deep State https://t.co/6gaPqS9WCJ — Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) November 6, 2019

“The entire media is #Triggered that I (a private citizen) tweeted out a story naming the alleged whistleblower,” Trump tweeted in response to the outrage.

“Are they going to pretend that his name hasn’t been in the public domain for weeks now? Numerous people & news outlets including Real Clear Politics already ID’d him,” he added: