Sen.said Thursday that she believes "whistleblowers should be protected," aligning herself with fellow Iowa Republican Sen., who has defended the intelligence community whistleblower at the center of an impeachment inquiry against"Whistleblowers should be protected, thank you very much. Whistleblowers should be protected, please let folks out there know," Ernst said during a town hall in Iowa.

Amy (Constituent): It’s a non answer answer. I understand. Ernst: I can’t speak for [Trump]. Amy: I know you can’t speak for him but you can speak for yourself... What about the whistleblower? Ernst: Whistleblowers should be protected. pic.twitter.com/8Ji2nTxyV7

The comments from Ernst, who is up for reelection in 2020, come as Trump has repeatedly lashed out at the whistleblower and demanded to know the individual's identity. The complaint, related to Trump's actions toward Ukraine, led directly the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry.

Trump, asked on Monday if he knows the person's identity, told reporters that the White House is "trying to find out."

Trump doubled down in a tweet on Tuesday, reiterating that he wants to meet the whistleblower.

"Why aren’t we entitled to interview & learn everything about the Whistleblower, and also the person who gave all of the false information to him," he tweeted.

Grassley broke with Trump on Tuesday, saying the individual deserves to be "heard out and protected."

“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," said Grassley, who is the chairman of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus.

The Iowa town hall comes hours after Trump publicly encouraged China and Ukraine to investigate former Vice Presidentand his son, Hunter Biden.