GOP Sen. Rob Portman, a member of Senate Homeland Security, defends the work of Chris Krebs after Trump fired the DHS official for asserting that the elections were secure and fair

"I know Chris, I've worked well with him. I think he's a real professional," Portman told me.

Portman suggested "there's a little disconnect" about what Krebs' main points were: That there was a lack of successful cyberattacks on election systems. "He was not talking about fraud.” (Krebs did though push back on some of Trump's unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud.)

“I was on two calls with Chris 10 days before the election with a bipartisan group of senators," Portman recalled. "He was always responsible, and helpful."

Asked if he wished Trump didn't fire Krebs, Portman said: "Yeah I think he was very good. I think what he was trying to do in an unprecedented way was to connect with every state in the country, and give them what they needed to protect and have a firewall ..against cyberattacks

Portman added: “And it worked very well, and the President should be proud of it... As Chris said, it was the best election yet in keeping the Russians, Iranians and whoever else from trying to hack into the system."

More GOP support for Krebs - this from Richard Burr, member of Senate Intel and former chairman of committee, saying he did a “remarkable job”

Ben Sasse says of Krebs: “Chris Krebs did a really good job — as state election officials all across the nation will tell you — and he obviously should not be fired.”