CNN in a statement to BuzzFeed said it decided not to publish the Reddit user’s name out of concern for his safety.



“Any assertion that the network blackmailed or coerced him is false,” it said.



“The user, who is an adult male, not a 15-year-old boy, apologized and deleted his account before ever speaking with our reporter. CNN never made any deal, of any kind, with the user,” it added. Donald Trump Jr. had suggested the Reddit user was a 15-year-old.

Cruz is a former adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law, where he taught Supreme Court litigation. He also once served as the state's solicitor general. “In fact, CNN included its decision to withhold the user’s identity in an effort to be completely transparent that there was no deal," CNN's statement read.