Iowa’s Chuck Grassley says Trump overstating Greenland push

Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said Wednesday that President Donald Trump is overstating the need for U.S. control of Greenland, while emphasizing the importance of diplomacy and reaffirming his long-standing support for the independence of the Federal Reserve amid a Justice Department inquiry into Fed chair Jerome Powell.

Speaking during a press call with Iowa reporters, Grassley said he agrees Greenland holds strategic national security importance but questioned Trump’s rhetoric suggesting that anything short of U.S. control of the territory is “unacceptable.”

“I think the president is making a bigger deal out of it than he should,” Grassley said. “Now, he’s not making a big deal out of the importance of it for national security — I have no disagreement with that — but Denmark has been so cooperative with us on Greenland, going back to World War II.”

Grassley said Denmark, a NATO ally, has historically worked closely with the U.S. on military facilities and defense interests on the Arctic island and could be expected to continue doing so without the United States seeking to buy or seize Greenland.

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He said the president could simply meet with Danish leaders — including the country’s prime minister — who are strong supporters of NATO and already understand U.S. demands for higher European defense spending. He argued such talks would show Denmark is willing to cooperate on strengthening Greenland’s role in U.S. and NATO security.

“If he sits down with them, they’ll give him anything he needs to build up Greenland to protect our national security,” Grassley said, pointing to access to minerals and military infrastructure. “The president can get this done a lot easier than buying it or by invading it.”

Fed independence and Jerome Powell inquiry

Grassley also addressed reports that the Justice Department has initiated a criminal inquiry involving Powell, saying any investigation should proceed carefully and without political influence.

“For at least five decades, there’s been no dispute about the independence of the Fed,” Grassley said. “There should be no political influence.”

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He said the Federal Reserve’s mandate to control inflation and promote employment are economic — not political — responsibilities, and said he is skeptical that Powell committed any criminal wrongdoing.

“It’s hard for me to believe somebody like him would be guilty of anything criminal,” Grassley said.

Grassley noted that lying to Congress is a crime but pointed to past instances in which referrals to the Justice Department did not result in prosecutions.

“If there’s a reason to investigate the Fed chairman because he did something criminal, that’s one thing,” he said. “ … I expect DOJ to do that by the book, and that better be the case in this investigation as well.”

Iran tensions and military action

Asked about escalating tensions with Iran and the possibility of U.S. military action, Grassley said he hopes the situation can be resolved without military intervention.

“I don’t want military action in Iran,” Grassley said. “I do want everything that can be done from a political standpoint or diplomatic standpoint to support the people that are concerned about the leadership of Iran and the lack of freedoms there.”

Grassley said non-military tools such as sanctions, diplomacy and potentially cyber operations could be alternatives, though he acknowledged he was not fully versed in cyber capabilities.

“I hope it can all be done non-militarily,” he said, adding that any approach should avoid putting U.S. troops on the ground.

War powers and presidential authority

The Senate was expected to vote on a war powers resolution to block Trump from using the military in Venezuela after the president ordered a surprise military strike that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The measure advanced last week in a procedural vote.

Pressed on whether Congress has ceded too much authority to the executive branch, Grassley pointed to the War Powers Act of 1973 and the long-running constitutional debate surrounding it.

“Every Republican and Democrat president since then has considered it unconstitutional,” Grassley said, while noting that presidents generally attempt to comply with the law’s requirements, including briefing congressional leadership.

Grassley cited past military actions under both Republican and Democratic administrations — including Panama, Libya and Afghanistan — as examples of presidents acting under their constitutional authority as commander in chief.

He said he reviewed classified and later partially declassified Justice Department legal analysis and was satisfied it showed the president had the authority to act. That analysis, he noted, cited Venezuela’s last election, which he said was closely monitored and showed Maduro received only about 30 percent of the vote — undermining his legitimacy even aside from U.S. criminal charges and a reward for his arrest.

“So even if he hadn't been a drug peddler, he had no reason — no authority — to be president of Venezuela except he wants to be a dictator, I guess,” Grassley said.

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