Washington (CNN) Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Thursday that she believes "we should always protect whistleblowers," a notable departure from President Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans, who have called for the anonymous Ukraine whistleblower to be identified.

"I mean, I believe in whistleblower laws. I think you have to protect a whistleblower, and then I think, in turn, the whistleblower has to abide by those laws and the fact that they don't allow any sort of partisan leaking or anything like that to have happen," Haley told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room." "We don't know that that's happened either, but until then, I do think we should always protect whistleblowers."

When pressed on if her stance amounted to a disagreement with the President, Haley said, "You can call it disagreeing."

Haley's comments come as Trump continues to attack the whistleblower whose complaint document triggered the House impeachment inquiry. The President has said he deserves to "meet his accuser" and has demanded the whistleblower's identity be revealed.

The whistleblower's complaint alleges Trump abused his official powers "to solicit interference" from Ukraine in the 2020 election and that the White House took steps to cover it up. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

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