Sen. Chuck Grassley gave the White House Correspondents’ Dinner a hard pass, staying home to protect the line of succession from catastrophe.

The 92-year-old Iowa Republican is third in line to the presidency — the Senate’s president pro tempore is behind only the vice president and speaker of the House — and the highest-ranking person in the succession to skip Saturday night’s near-tragic shindig.

Deranged shooter Cole Allen opened fire at the DC Hilton gala as he tried to take out the president and top officials, authorities said.