Long a champion of whistleblowers, Grassley also rejected assertions by GOP lawmakers and the President over whether the person knew of certain information first-hand or not.
"When it comes to whether someone qualifies as a whistleblower, the distinctions being drawn between first- and second-hand knowledge aren’t legal ones," Grassley added.
Grassley's statement doesn't just shut down Trump's comments on what constitutes a whistleblower.
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) October 1, 2019
It shuts down many of his GOP colleagues making the same false argument that a whistleblower is defined by someone who has firsthand knowledge of a situation. pic.twitter.com/76e1BSG0Zm
Grassley also warned the news media against efforts to uncover the identity of the whistleblower.
"Any further media reports on the whistleblower’s identity don’t serve the public interest — even if the conflict sells more papers or attracts clicks," Grassley added, saying the whistleblower deserves confidentiality.
That runs against what President Trump has been telling reporters.
"Well, we're trying to find out about a whistleblower - when you have a whistleblower that reports things that were incorrect," Mr. Trump said on Monday at the White House.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of State blasted Democrats on Tuesday morning, saying in a letter that Democrats were trying to intimidate State Department workers who have been asked to give depositions as part of the House investigation.
"I’m concerned with aspects of the Committee’s request," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Democrats in a letter, as Pompeo said scheduled depositions for current and former diplomatic officials were 'not feasible.'
"Let me be clear," Pompeo tweeted, "I will not tolerate such tactics."
Let me be clear: I will not tolerate such tactics, and I will use all means at my disposal to prevent and expose any attempts to intimidate the dedicated professionals whom I am proud to lead and serve alongside at the Department of State.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) October 1, 2019
BREAKING: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says in a letter to the House Foreign Affairs Committee that Democrats are trying to "intimidate" and "bully" State Department employees and that depositions scheduled by the panel are "not feasible." https://t.co/iE50dgfrW9
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 1, 2019
Three different committees in the U.S. House want depositions next week with five current and former State Department officials.
That includes Kurt Volker, a U.S. envoy to Ukraine, who resigned from his post last week.
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