It appears Grassley will use his time left in the U.S. Senate (and his life) cementing his legacy not as a statesman, but rather as a sycophant for authoritarianism.
The fall of the Roman empire was preceded by the abdication of power and oversite by the Roman Senate. I am not shocked by the words or action by our senior Senator. I am fearful that so many of our 'elected' politicians have betrayed the freedoms our forefathers outlined in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Thanks for documenting Grassley’s abuse of his power, Laura. It’s important to make these lists so the stories can be told. I used to hope for justice, now I just hope for truth. These facts will form the bones of that story.
The undocumented workers Trump proposes for farmers to use ‘if they vouch for them,’ are likely to be indentured laborers on loan from their respective detention camps. A very cozy arrangement for prisoner rotations, and providing the approximately 40% of undocumented agricultural laborers already performing critically important work, to be leased for lowering costs and increasing profits. It was called chain gang work, even slave labor in the past. Also, he alludes to allowances for ‘service workers’ who are needed for resorts, restaurants and hotels. Weren’t they called something akin to ‘house workers’ in antebellum times? With complicity provided by the now largest, highest funded federal law enforcement agency in history ICE, and the subservient obsequiousness of Grassley’s judiciary committee and Supreme Court jesters, who’s to stop this return to the dark days of ‘Jim Crow?’
Your description of this grotesque performance of fealty provides the only real transparency, about this celebration of wealth transference, masquerading as preventing tax increases. We even get to fund gladiator games at the White House to celebrate 250 years of liberty and freedom! Iowa was chosen for this grand charade by its kneeling, ring kissing elected representatives. Certainly not for the motto inscribed on our State flag.
Indentured labor has returned to the U.S., along with concentration camps, the suspension of habeas corpus, illegal rendition to foreign nations.........how long til the Republicans will be selling slaves on street corners?
Given that this regime is so bad at everything they do, I worry about that same thing. Is there any kind of record-keeping happening, so that there's a paper trail of who was shipped where and when? I worry that these people, citizens and non-citizens, will just be disappeared.
The macabre amoral conduct, openly displayed by this coterie of unidentified, sadistic, henchmen, being paid to conduct kidnappings under government orders, is knowingly accepted by the Trump/MAGA/Republican regime. America has become a lawless country without conscience or honor for human rights. How long will it take for the actors, currently playing the roles of elected representatives, to allow any perceived “disloyal enemy from within” to be forcibly removed? The three branches of government have been replaced by a Dictatorship that mocks, threatens or imprisons all who oppose it. How was it possible to do totally disfigure and dismantle our democracy in just 168 days? Follow the money.
In February the Justice Department also dropped the human trafficking investigation of World Wrestling Entertainment co- founder Vince McMahon, estranged husband of the other WWE co-founder, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon. The president’s and Mr. McMahon’s association goes back 30 years to when the president hosted two WWE WrestleManias at his Atlantic City casino. The two had a “Battle of the Billionaires” story line going on WWE programming leading up to a WrestleMania in 2007 and the president is a 2013 inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Mr. McMahon resigned his position with WWE’s current ownership in January 2024 amid sex trafficking and assault allegations.
Chuck Grassley, a career politician, serves as the model for term limitations. He has not represented the needs of his constituents and general public for 25+ years, rather solely the GOP and now it’s conflicted leader. Quite sad for an individual who, at one time, served with integrity.
Great info, Laura! For sure, Chuck whistles a different tune when the most corrupt prez in history is at the helm. Sadly, Donnie is back on stage...and demeaning our nation. With my folks as land-owners for decades, we see, once again, Iowa legislators--Grassley and Ernst, Nunn and Feinstra--asleep at the wheel when it comes to the proposed Farm Bill: 638 days overdue! With Donnie, again, our nation is hit hard with lies and corruption. Does not a hateful Grassley need to go?
Appears to be a blown head gasket, Laura. Your Mr. Grassley left several puddles of Valvoline 40W where he was parked when the senior senator from my side of the Big River put forth a litany of the perfidiousness of 45-47 (and a dandy video clip!) at the Biden 'hearing' last month.
I reckon I just wasted my time urging Mr. Grassley to not verify Kash Patel as FBI Director. Patel is using our FBI to 'investigate' Trump's enemies, which is anyone not agreeing with Trump's every action. I used to think Grassley was relatively harmlessas a whistleblower's advocate-a 'Jimmy Stewart' type that wasn't harming most of Iowa as he is now. He's not pushing back on defunding renewable energy projects. Ke not mentioning how Iowa's nascent Ethanol plants will be forced to shut down even as money meant for them is reallocated to Coal and Oil. Trump, after approving Ethanol for year round 15% useage is going to eliminate all mandates, another gift to Oil that is harmful to Iowa.
Thanks for your consistently great reporting. It is depressing but, at least, I can trust your reporting so am very appreciative of all the diligence and commitment you put into it.
I briefly worked for a Democratic Senator in 2005 and Grassley thought by junior staff to be someone interested in governing as opposed to the new batch of Republican Senators that just wanted to gain attention and score political wins.
Has Grassley been radicalized by first the Tea Party and then Trump? Or has he always been hyper-partisan with an Iowa nice veneer?
I think he was different during the 1980s. Still partisan but more reasonable. Things began to change under Clinton but the Obama years were when he went off the rails and never returned. Max Baucus wasted a lot of time on Grassley with the ACA because Grassley used to be someone they could deal with.
I worked for an older Senator and there were a number of older Republican Senators including Trent Lott who our office could work with on certain issues. Despite vast disagreements on how to achieve goals, they generally wanted to pass legislation that would help Americans.
Can't say "chucklehead" without CHUCK! And for wanting "govt transparency/accountability" he sure was quiet when IG office was gutted. History won't be kind...
Wheeshhhh. This is an awful compendium of the senator's complying to the needs of The Empire and its new Commodus. For me, I will not soon forget, and never forgive the senator's complicity in almost overturning the 2000 election, with his almost guile-less admission that 'if' Vice President Pence happened to be 'unavailable', he, Grassley, would've 'bravely' stepped in in his role as Sen President to '86' the certification of the count of electoral votes. Any 'real' DOJ would've gotten to the bottom of who all was involved in THAT seditious 'work', and the bottom-feeders organizing it all would be in prison. Except they'd have been pardoned by now, and handed golden get-out-of-jail cards by now. And I'm all out of 'things in quotes' quote marks for the day, and need to get at the work of getting my wood shed put up and filled and my lamp wicks trimmed. Winter's coming.
It appears Grassley will use his time left in the U.S. Senate (and his life) cementing his legacy not as a statesman, but rather as a sycophant for authoritarianism.
Chuck Grassley is the person most responsible for the demolition of Chuck Grassley’s reputation.
And, he is the person most responsible for the loss of Roe v Wade, along with McConnell.
The fall of the Roman empire was preceded by the abdication of power and oversite by the Roman Senate. I am not shocked by the words or action by our senior Senator. I am fearful that so many of our 'elected' politicians have betrayed the freedoms our forefathers outlined in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Thanks for documenting Grassley’s abuse of his power, Laura. It’s important to make these lists so the stories can be told. I used to hope for justice, now I just hope for truth. These facts will form the bones of that story.
I'm all about "documenting the atrocities." There has to be a record.
The undocumented workers Trump proposes for farmers to use ‘if they vouch for them,’ are likely to be indentured laborers on loan from their respective detention camps. A very cozy arrangement for prisoner rotations, and providing the approximately 40% of undocumented agricultural laborers already performing critically important work, to be leased for lowering costs and increasing profits. It was called chain gang work, even slave labor in the past. Also, he alludes to allowances for ‘service workers’ who are needed for resorts, restaurants and hotels. Weren’t they called something akin to ‘house workers’ in antebellum times? With complicity provided by the now largest, highest funded federal law enforcement agency in history ICE, and the subservient obsequiousness of Grassley’s judiciary committee and Supreme Court jesters, who’s to stop this return to the dark days of ‘Jim Crow?’
Your description of this grotesque performance of fealty provides the only real transparency, about this celebration of wealth transference, masquerading as preventing tax increases. We even get to fund gladiator games at the White House to celebrate 250 years of liberty and freedom! Iowa was chosen for this grand charade by its kneeling, ring kissing elected representatives. Certainly not for the motto inscribed on our State flag.
Indentured labor has returned to the U.S., along with concentration camps, the suspension of habeas corpus, illegal rendition to foreign nations.........how long til the Republicans will be selling slaves on street corners?
Another question is how many of those arrested, detained, deported have disappeared permanently?
Given that this regime is so bad at everything they do, I worry about that same thing. Is there any kind of record-keeping happening, so that there's a paper trail of who was shipped where and when? I worry that these people, citizens and non-citizens, will just be disappeared.
The macabre amoral conduct, openly displayed by this coterie of unidentified, sadistic, henchmen, being paid to conduct kidnappings under government orders, is knowingly accepted by the Trump/MAGA/Republican regime. America has become a lawless country without conscience or honor for human rights. How long will it take for the actors, currently playing the roles of elected representatives, to allow any perceived “disloyal enemy from within” to be forcibly removed? The three branches of government have been replaced by a Dictatorship that mocks, threatens or imprisons all who oppose it. How was it possible to do totally disfigure and dismantle our democracy in just 168 days? Follow the money.
In February the Justice Department also dropped the human trafficking investigation of World Wrestling Entertainment co- founder Vince McMahon, estranged husband of the other WWE co-founder, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon. The president’s and Mr. McMahon’s association goes back 30 years to when the president hosted two WWE WrestleManias at his Atlantic City casino. The two had a “Battle of the Billionaires” story line going on WWE programming leading up to a WrestleMania in 2007 and the president is a 2013 inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Mr. McMahon resigned his position with WWE’s current ownership in January 2024 amid sex trafficking and assault allegations.
Chuck Grassley, a career politician, serves as the model for term limitations. He has not represented the needs of his constituents and general public for 25+ years, rather solely the GOP and now it’s conflicted leader. Quite sad for an individual who, at one time, served with integrity.
I believe that Grassley's first run for office INCLUDED his campaigning for.....wait for it.......TERM LIMITS. Isn't that hilarious????
Great info, Laura! For sure, Chuck whistles a different tune when the most corrupt prez in history is at the helm. Sadly, Donnie is back on stage...and demeaning our nation. With my folks as land-owners for decades, we see, once again, Iowa legislators--Grassley and Ernst, Nunn and Feinstra--asleep at the wheel when it comes to the proposed Farm Bill: 638 days overdue! With Donnie, again, our nation is hit hard with lies and corruption. Does not a hateful Grassley need to go?
Very enlightening! Good grief is anyone fighting for our democracy?
Well aren't we just so proud of our senior senator? Enabling a felon who hates half the people he supposedly leads. Right on brand Gra$$ley
Appears to be a blown head gasket, Laura. Your Mr. Grassley left several puddles of Valvoline 40W where he was parked when the senior senator from my side of the Big River put forth a litany of the perfidiousness of 45-47 (and a dandy video clip!) at the Biden 'hearing' last month.
Fine summation on your part here. Thanks.
I reckon I just wasted my time urging Mr. Grassley to not verify Kash Patel as FBI Director. Patel is using our FBI to 'investigate' Trump's enemies, which is anyone not agreeing with Trump's every action. I used to think Grassley was relatively harmlessas a whistleblower's advocate-a 'Jimmy Stewart' type that wasn't harming most of Iowa as he is now. He's not pushing back on defunding renewable energy projects. Ke not mentioning how Iowa's nascent Ethanol plants will be forced to shut down even as money meant for them is reallocated to Coal and Oil. Trump, after approving Ethanol for year round 15% useage is going to eliminate all mandates, another gift to Oil that is harmful to Iowa.
Thanks for your consistently great reporting. It is depressing but, at least, I can trust your reporting so am very appreciative of all the diligence and commitment you put into it.
Thank you, Diana.
I briefly worked for a Democratic Senator in 2005 and Grassley thought by junior staff to be someone interested in governing as opposed to the new batch of Republican Senators that just wanted to gain attention and score political wins.
Has Grassley been radicalized by first the Tea Party and then Trump? Or has he always been hyper-partisan with an Iowa nice veneer?
I think he was different during the 1980s. Still partisan but more reasonable. Things began to change under Clinton but the Obama years were when he went off the rails and never returned. Max Baucus wasted a lot of time on Grassley with the ACA because Grassley used to be someone they could deal with.
It’s a shame.
I worked for an older Senator and there were a number of older Republican Senators including Trent Lott who our office could work with on certain issues. Despite vast disagreements on how to achieve goals, they generally wanted to pass legislation that would help Americans.
Can't say "chucklehead" without CHUCK! And for wanting "govt transparency/accountability" he sure was quiet when IG office was gutted. History won't be kind...
Wheeshhhh. This is an awful compendium of the senator's complying to the needs of The Empire and its new Commodus. For me, I will not soon forget, and never forgive the senator's complicity in almost overturning the 2000 election, with his almost guile-less admission that 'if' Vice President Pence happened to be 'unavailable', he, Grassley, would've 'bravely' stepped in in his role as Sen President to '86' the certification of the count of electoral votes. Any 'real' DOJ would've gotten to the bottom of who all was involved in THAT seditious 'work', and the bottom-feeders organizing it all would be in prison. Except they'd have been pardoned by now, and handed golden get-out-of-jail cards by now. And I'm all out of 'things in quotes' quote marks for the day, and need to get at the work of getting my wood shed put up and filled and my lamp wicks trimmed. Winter's coming.
Tim Long, Just up the Hill from Lock 15