One of the best battles in Congress involves a top Republican's years-long crusade against The History Channel
- Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley has roasted The History Channel for years.
- He would prefer if the network aired more historical programming.
- Many have expressed agreement with his tweets on the subject.
Perhaps nothing has drawn the ire of top Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley like The History Channel's programming.
For more than six years, the Iowa Republican has been relentlessly roasting the channel on Twitter in President Donald Trump-like fashion for its lack of history-based programming.
Just last week, Grassley continued his long-standing Twitter battle with the network, tweeting that he took a historic tour of the US Capitol "because it's never on the History Channel."
Usually, Grassley is much more forceful in his critiques.
"Just watched history on An American Experience abt Thomas Edison the inventor Thx Comcast on Arlington Va Channel 19 DO U GET MESSAGE HISTORY CHANNEL???" he wrote on December 30.
"Now w Kennedy FileS being released the HISTORY CHANNEL has opportunity for real history instead of BEING NONHISTORY CHANNEL," he tweeted in late October.
Sometimes though, Grassley expresses hope in the network. He will sometimes post when notified that history programming is taking place on The History Channel.
"I shld not give up," he tweeted on July 4. "Staff just notified me there is some history on History Channel So I'm watching Go there quickly."
"Hurry Hurry watch some history on History Channel before it disappears for something not so historical," he wrote in late 2016 after posting a year prior, "Quick before its too late. Go to History Channel. It actually has history NOW."
Grassley's staff explained that the tweets all have one goal in mind - pushing The History Channel to air more historical content. In recent years, the network has become best known for its pawn shop and antiques-based programming such as "Pawn Stars" and "American Pickers."
"Sen. Grassley enjoys the History Channel's history programming, so he tweets to encourage more of it," Grassley spokesperson Michael Zona told Business Insider in an email. "I'd also note Sen. Grassley has praised the History Channel when they air history programming. Sen. Grassley received his master's degree in history, so he's been a student of history for some time."
While The History Channel did not return a request for comment from Business Insider, it has replied to some of Grassley's past tweets.
When Grassley tweeted in October about how the network had the opportunity "for real history instead of BEING NONHISTORY CHANNEL" when the secretive Kennedy files were set to be released, The History Channel replied with a link to its report on the documents.
"Have you read our piece on the documents yet?" The History Channel wrote. "It's being updated as we read through them."
Last week, when Grassley posted his photo from the Capitol bathtubs, The History Channel asked him for help on a possible collaboration.
"Ah yes, the ones rediscovered in 1936!" the network wrote. "Want to work with us on a Facebook video sharing more of the Capitol's hidden history?"
Grassley has built up a sizeable fan club on the subject. And most observers appear to be on his side of the argument.
So long as the channel maintains its current lineup, it doesn't appear as if Grassley's war against it will end anytime soon.
"I turn to History channel frequently bc I like history," he wrote in 2012. "There is nevr any history unless u r an antique dealer. Change name!"