YouTube removed a video of Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, where Paul named the alleged whistleblower, whose complaint prompted the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
Paul defended his decision to name the alleged whistleblower in a conference call Thursday with reporters. (RELATED: Does The Whistleblower Protection Act Really Guarantee The Whistleblower Anonymity?)
“I’ve said said all along, I have no official documentation, nor have I seen any documentation of who the whistleblower is,” Paul said.
YouTube stated that videos naming the alleged whistleblower violated company policy, in a statement to Politico.
“We’ve removed hundreds of videos and over ten thousand comments that contained the name. Video uploaders have the option to edit their videos to exclude the name and reupload,” YouTube spokesperson Ivy Choi told Politico.
The Kentucky senator made waves after Chief Justice John Roberts declined to read his question during Trump’s impeachment trial, because Paul’s question mentioned the name of the whistleblower. Paul previously urged the media to report the name of the alleged whistleblower, and has not been shy about naming him in press conferences. (RELATED: Rand Paul Introduces AFGHAN Service Act To End War In Afghanistan)
(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Paul said that he’s had “over 200 death threats” in the last week after the president’s acquittal, and that people are putting his address on the internet.
“I’ve been at the ball field when Steve Scalise was almost killed, I’ve had shots at fired at me, I’ve had six ribs broken,” Paul said. “I haven’t seen any concern from any of these left-wing outlets for my safety.”
Paul continued to rip YouTube for censoring his video, but cautioned against significant regulations for big tech companies.
“What my goal is, is to try to look at barriers to entry for competition, and if possible remove any barriers to entry for new players that would compete against YouTube or Twitter,” Paul said. “As opposed to disrupting or destroying YouTube, or Google, or Facebook, I’d rather try to remove any impediments from their competition.
