Unfortunately for former Clinton official Philippe Reines, he was the object of a rhetorical beat down during Sunday’s MediaBuzz on the Fox News Channel, all thanks to our friend Mollie Hemingway at The Federalist over coverage of alleged whistleblower Eric Ciaramella.

Before Reines tried and failed to land his jabs, Hemingway laid out a logic case for why the whistleblower’s name should be in the public domain even though the press seem more concerned about staying in the good graces Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) (click “expand”):

Well, I think people should be concerned in protecting people that are in public news, but the most important thing is that the media should be in the business of sharing information that is in the public interest and there’s no question that it is in the public interest and we’re not seeing this kind of concern that the media has for this whistleblower that they have had for other people. You had CNN doxxing a grandmother cause they don’t like what she put on Facebook, you know, showing her in the front lawn. You have NBC recently outing a Russian — a — an American spy who Russian. You have had The New York Times out a CIA station chief in Iran, you don't see concern when it doesn't match their political motivation and, of course, Adam Schiff first demanded that the whistleblower testify until that precise moment that it was revealed that they had coordinated prior to him filing the complaint. So it seems like the media are just following what Adam Schiff wants. It’s not a good look.

Reines responded with a shot at Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) for all but naming Ciaramella last week at a Trump rally, but Hemingway and host Howard Kurtz promptly dismantled him by noting that The New York Times did much the same thing with a piece detailing the whistleblower’s background.

Hemingway then uttered Ciaramella’s name as per Paul Sperry’s item for Real Clear Investigations and adding that, instead of being upset about the name, the press could be placing their worries elsewhere.

District Media Group’s Beverly Hallberg worked to lower the temperature by pivoting to the decision by Facebook and YouTube to block and remove posts with the alleged whistleblower’s name in it.

She also pointed out that, while tech companies can decide what they wish, it’s important to remember that impeachment isn’t a legal proceeding or a trial with a slew of legal protections, but rather “a political process.”

Reines tried again, but his success rate was, well, low (click “expand”)

REINES: He also — he also supposedly works in the CIA which means that he works for Gina Haspel. Gina Haspel is President Trump’s choice at the CIA. This notion that he works at the DNC is crazy.

REINES: He has no ties to the Biden family. You can’t just throw that out.

HEMINGWAY: Agreed. It should be everybody, but it’s also just really important. We’re talking somebody who set off impeachment. The idea that the public doesn't have an interest of knowing about this individual, what his ties are with the Biden family, what his history in the government is, what his political motivations are —

REINES: Whatever sense the media has responsibility to do it the entire media is not doing.

REINES: When President Trump says the media’s not doing its job, you need to do its job. He's not only talking to CNN or MSNBC or New York Times, he is talking to Fox News, he is talking to The Federalist, he's talking to the Wall Street Journal. Why haven't those? Because he wants the liberal media as he calls it to do the dirty work. There's a reason why he's trying to avoid it.

HEMINGWAY: It is clearly wrong for these quasi-media corporations like YouTube and other media — media-related outlets to say you’re not allowed to talk about what's been reported out there. It has been reported. That's what — that’s what I'm mentioning, it has been reported.

Later, Hemingway got in the last word:

Schiff demand this whistleblower testimony until it was revealed that the whistleblower had coordinated with his staff. The other thing he doesn’t want him to be asked about is where he got the information from because that would put a lot of people in trouble.

To see the relevant transcript from FNC’s MediaBuzz on November 10, click “expand.”

FNC’s MediaBuzz

November 10, 2019

11:17 a.m. Eastern

HOWARD KURTZ: Now, Mollie, I understand that legally, there’s no prohibition against naming the whistleblower, just against retaliation. Maybe you think he’s a partisan or a hack or a Never Trumper, but as I said with Stephanie Grisham, won't it send a chilling message if future whistleblowers if this person can be outed and that might be true in a democratic administration?

MOLLIE HEMINGWAY: Well, I think people should be concerned in protecting people that are in public news, but the most important thing is that the media should be in the business of sharing information that is in the public interest and there’s no question that it is in the public interest and we’re not seeing this kind of concern that the media has for this whistleblower that they have had for other people. You had CNN doxxing a grandmother cause they don’t like what she put on Facebook, you know, showing her in the front lawn. You have NBC recently outing a Russian — a — an American spy who Russian. You have had The New York Times out a CIA station chief in Iran, you don't see concern when it doesn't match their political motivation and, of course, Adam Schiff first demanded that the whistleblower testify until that precise moment that it was revealed that they had coordinated prior to him filing the complaint.

KURTZ: The whistleblower had spoken to Schiff’s staff.

HEMINGWAY: So it seems like the media are just following what Adam Schiff wants. It’s not a good look.

KURTZ: Now Philippee, if Rand Paul wants to oust the whistleblower and can do so on the floor, why hasn't it done it? Why ask the press to do his dirty work?

PHILIPPE REINES: He's a hypocrite and a weak man who wants somebody else to do his dirty work, but I —

KURTZ: But also perhaps anybody who knows who it is. I don't know who it is, many of our journalists here don't know who it is, but would face an enormous political blowback, so it's easier if the press does it.

REINES: Well, but I want to take a step back when we say why hasn’t the press done it. I could say why hasn't Fox done it? I could say why hasn’t The Federalist done it?

HEMINGWAY: Actually, it act — this is one thing I don't get about the conversation we’re having. There has been reporting on this whistleblower.

REINES: But the President is saying —

HEMINGWAY: The New York Times —

REINES: — that the media is —

HEMINGWAY: — hold on.

REINES: — is not doing its job.

HEMINGWAY: Yes and that is —

REINES: How — how are you guys exempt from that?

HEMINGWAY: Just a second. The New York Times did all but reveal his name in September.

KURTZ: Yes. The New York Times did —

REINES: So did Sean Hannity.

HEMINGWAY: They gave all the details.

REINES: So did Sean Hannity.

KURTZ: But The New York Times was the first —

HEMINGWAY: And — and Real —

KURTZ: — to half-out the whistleblower by saying he's a CIA officer who had been assigned to the white house. You’re right.

HEMINGWAY: — and Real Clear Investigations has identified a man named Eric Ciarmella as the whistleblower, so it's already out there, we could be talking about this reporting and talking about whether that's accurate reporting or not, so I feel a little bit confused about why we’re pretending that it hasn’t already been reported.

KURTZ: I just want to clarify that I don’t know that is the person.

REINES: That might be the first time that the name has been mentioned on Fox News —

HEMINGWAY: I — I mean, it’s —

REINES: — and not by a Fox News reporter.

HEMINGWAY: — it’s been reported Real Clear Investigations.

KURTZ: I just want to — I just want to clarify that — and I’m going to come to you on this, we don't know whether this is actually the person or not and I don't want to speculate about that, but there have been a few conservative outlets and commentators who have floated that name or other names. Is this an effort to have it oozed in the mainstream media?

BEVERLY HALLBERG: Well, I think there have been a lot of speculation when you look at social media. You have YouTube and Facebook who have decided to try to block all mentions of this person’s name. On Twitter, it’s been free rein, so I've heard the name before which Mollie has said. A lot of people have. So the question is whether or not this person come forward. Should the media out him? Should we hear about it from Rand Paul?

KURTZ: Do you think Facebook and YouTube were wrong to do that?

HALLBERG: I think it’s up to them as a business to decide whether or not to do it. I do think that when you look at protections, there is a place for that, but this is an impeachment process which is a political process, not a criminal trial. There are different protections for people in this situation and I do think that that's being reported on occasion incorrectly.

HEMINGWAY: It is clearly wrong for these quasi-media corporations like YouTube and other media — media-related outlets to say you’re not allowed to talk about what's been reported out there. It has been reported. That's what — that’s what I'm mentioning, it has been reported.

KURTZ: Right. Let’s — let’s —

HEMINGWAY: The idea that you can’t talk about —

REINES: When President Trump says the media’s not doing its job, you need to do its job. He's not only talking to CNN or MSNBC or New York Times, he is talking to Fox News, he is talking to The Federalist, he's talking to the Wall Street Journal. Why haven't those? Because he wants the liberal media as he calls it to do the dirty work. There's a reason why he's trying to avoid it.

HEMINGWAY: Again, the idea that —

REINES: Whatever sense the media has responsibility to do it the entire media is not doing.

HEMINGWAY: Agreed. It should be everybody, but it’s also just really important. We’re talking somebody who set off impeachment. The idea that the public doesn't have an interest of knowing about this individual, what his ties are with the Biden family, what his history in the government is, what his political motivations are

REINES: He has no ties to the Biden family. You can’t just throw that out.

HEMINGWAY: — is utterly absurd.

KURTZ: Well, let me jump in.

REINES: Come on.

KURTZ: It would help if we knew who it was. Alright —

REINES: He also — he also supposedly works in the CIA which means that he works for Gina Haspel. Gina Haspel is President Trump’s choice at the CIA.

KURTZ: I’ve got to break this up. I’ve got to break.

REINES: This notion that he works at the DNC is crazy

KURTZ: I have to break this up because I have a question for Beverly. But first, I want to note that the whistleblower's lawyers that identifying any suspected name can place the individual at harm, serious risk and it shows desperation to reflect from the substance of the complaint. I understand the whistleblower may be effective target depending on who it is. But he never claimed to have firsthand knowledge and now that we have the transcript of the call and all these witnesses who testified who were involved in the Ukraine business, why do the media — why does the House even need whistleblower at this point?

HALLBERG: Well, I think there’s a reason why they want him to come to this public hearing, which I don’t think Adam Schiff will allow because he gets to approve who comes forward and that's because as Mollie just said, it started with this whistleblower. This was thirdhand information, I think what we’re going to hear from Jim Jordan, who’s going to be doing the questioning, moving over to the Intelligence Committee, is asking whether or not anybody had firsthand information and really tried to cloud the testimony, so I think the narrative that we’re going to be hearing is whether or not individuals like this whistleblower actually had any firsthand knowledge.

HEMINGWAY: And again, Schiff didn’t —

REINES: And the answer to that question is — is Ambassador Sondland, is Bill Taylor —

HEMINGWAY: — and then Schiff —

REINES: — and both of those are Donald Trump picks.

HEMINGWAY: This is — this is just a very important point.

KURTZ: I’ll let Mollie get in.

HEMINGWAY: Schiff demand this whistleblower testimony until it was revealed that the whistleblower had coordinated with his staff. The other thing he doesn’t want him to be asked about is where he got the information from because that would put a lot of people in trouble.

KURTZ: I’ve got to get a break. The whistleblower said, by the way, in his complaint he had no first-hand information.