Rod Wheeler, a Fox News contributor and former detective hired to investigate Rich’s death on behalf of the slain man’s family, sued the network last week, claiming that quotes in the story attributed to him were fabricated, and that the whole effort had been a collaboration with the White House to advance a storyline aimed at discrediting allegations President Trump colluded with Russia to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. (The White House has denied being involved with the story.)

But CNN’s reporting into what happened behind the scenes at Fox News shows that Wheeler’s own actions likely played a central role. In the day leading up to the article’s publication, Wheeler went rogue. In doing so, he sent the network’s editorial process into chaos, and as a result the article was rushed to the site without undergoing the kind of editorial scrutiny it should have received.

The article was discredited within hours of its publication. But Fox left it up on its website for days, and people continued to mention the conspiracy theory on its air. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Fox contributor, talked about it on “Fox & Friends.” Fox host Sean Hannity, the face of the network’s primetime lineup, hyped it on his radio and television programs despite widespread public condemnation of his coverage. He only stopped after the Rich family sent a letter pleading with him to do so.