"This person appears to have followed the whistleblower protection laws and ought to be heard out and protected," the senior senator from Iowa said.
DES MOINES — U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a long-time defender of whistleblowers and a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, pushed back Tuesday against the president's call to identify the person who filed a complaint about his July phone call with the Ukrainian president.
More: 'Horrific and chilling': Whistleblower advocates complain as Trump tries to identify source of Ukraine complaint But Grassley, who is chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, pointed out in the release Tuesday that protections for whistleblowers do not hinge on how the person acquired the information they've reported.
Last week, the New York Times published details on the whistleblower's identity. The paper faced backlash for publishing the information, which critics said could have outed the person's full identity.
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