A top Republican senator Tuesday defended the whistleblower at the center of the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry following repeated attacks from President Donald Trump.

“This person appears to have followed the whistleblower protection laws and ought to be heard out and protected. We should always work to respect whistleblowers’ requests for confidentiality,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, head of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement.

Read the rest of the story at NBC News.