Sen. Chuck Grassley is one of the longest-serving senators in American history, and during a career in the chamber that’s already spanned more than 44 years, the Iowa Republican has earned a reputation for one thing: He champions the interests of whistleblowers.
There’s nothing especially partisan or ideological about the issue. Sometimes, those who work in federal agencies will see some kind of wrongdoing — corruption, mismanagement, inefficiencies, fraud and misuse of resources, etc. — and it’s in everyone’s interest to have a system in which such witnesses are able to come forward, confident in the knowledge that they’ll be heard and respected, without being punished.
With this in mind, Wednesday was National Whistleblower Day in the United States, and given that this is Grassley’s signature issue, the Iowan appeared eager to honor the occasion, recognizing and celebrating those who “expose the truth.”
The longtime Republican senator’s timing could’ve been better. As The New York Times reported just one day earlier:
Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, has been known for decades as a champion of whistle-blowers. But critics say he has retreated from his signature issue, smoothing a path for a Trump loyalist who was confirmed on Tuesday to a lifetime appointment on the federal bench. The battle over Emil Bove III, the Trump ally and a top official at the Justice Department, some argue, has chilled the very efforts that Mr. Grassley, 91, has spent more than 40...
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