Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Chuck SchumerDemocrats scramble on COVID-19 relief amid division, Trump surprise Pelosi, Schumer 'encouraged' by Trump call for bigger coronavirus relief package Schumer, Sanders call for Senate panel to address election security MORE (D-N.Y.) said late Saturday that fired Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson will be remembered as a “hero.”

The New York senator tweeted that he spoke over the phone with Atkinson, who was fired last week by President Trump Donald John TrumpBarr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' Military leaders asked about using heat ray on protesters outside White House: report Powell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy MORE, who said he “no longer” had confidence in the inspector general. Atkinson first alerted Congress about the whistleblower report that sparked Trump’s impeachment.

“I spoke to Inspector General Michael Atkinson tonight, thanked him for his service, and told him that history will remember him as a hero and those who retaliated against him as scoundrels,” Schumer tweeted.

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I spoke to Inspector General Michael Atkinson tonight, thanked him for his service, and told him that history will remember him as a hero and those who retaliated against him as scoundrels. — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 5, 2020

The president defended his decision to fire the inspector general in a press briefing on Saturday, saying Atkinson handled the whistleblower complaint from last fall unfairly and didn’t call him before informing Congress.

“I thought he did a terrible job. Absolutely terrible. He took a whistleblower report, which turned out to be a fake report ... and he brought it to Congress with an emergency,” Trump told reporters. “Not a big Trump fan, that I can tell you.”

Democrats heavily criticized the president for the firing, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiPowell warns failure to reach COVID-19 deal could 'scar and damage' economy Overnight Defense: House to vote on military justice bill spurred by Vanessa Guillén death | Biden courts veterans after Trump's military controversies Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings MORE (D-Calif.) calling the action a “brazen act against a patriotic public servant.” Some critics accused Trump of making the announcement to distract from the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected hundreds of thousands of Americans and killed at least 8,503.