Charles Grassley: the senator in charge of Trump's legal agenda

He will spearhead filling the courts with conservatives

Senator Charles Grassley about to take a seat during a Senate confirmation hearing in January 2025
Grassley 'pisses excellence and experience," said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.).
(Image credit: Bloomberg / Getty Images)

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican, has been in the Senate longer than most Americans have been alive. Now he holds an important key to Donald Trump's second-term agenda.

The 91-year-old Grassley will oversee everything from "remaking the immigration system to unraveling the so-called 'deep state'" from his perch atop the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Politico. Critically, he will also be in charge of helping confirm Trump's judicial nominees. But his age — he is the chamber's only nonagenarian — has raised concerns among GOP colleagues about whether he is "too old for a job central to the execution of Trump's agenda." Other Republicans are quick to come to his defense: Grassley "pisses excellence and experience," said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.).

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Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.