Congressman Cline took to Facebook on Thursday to chastise the hundreds of his constituents who turned out at a scheduled meeting with his staff Thursday in Waynesboro to express their frustration and dismay over the Musk-Trump administration’s destruction of large parts of the federal government, threats to vital programs that serve tens of millions of Americans, Cline’s lockstep approval of it all, and his refusal to meet face-to-face with the people he claims to represent.

Congressman: According to your website, these “mobile office hours” are for your staff to “meet with citizens to assist with problems they might have with a federal agency and hear their views on current issues before Congress.”

As it turned out, hundreds of your constituents wanted to express their views on these issues Thursday. But you weren’t there to hear them, and you have given no indication when– or if– you will face your constituents in a public meeting, in Waynesboro or anywhere else in the Sixth District.

After your staff insisted on meeting with constituents five at a time, your 2024 Democratic opponent Ken Mitchell spoke briefly to the waiting crowd and answered some questions. Your 2022 opponent Jennifer Lewis was at the meeting but– contrary to your Facebook post– she did not make a speech. Can’t you at least correct that?

As for your claim that “people support what President Trump is doing,” that’s not even true for all your and Trump’s voters, as one of the commenters to your Facebook post affirmed:

You’ve told us that you’re fed up with hearing from your constituents. How do you think your constituents feel?

In an interview last week on WFIR radio, Congressman Cline continued his rave review of the Musk-Trump administration.

Cline conceded that the start of the new administration has been “chaotic.” He said Trump is “pushing the boundaries of what our norms are in our institutions.”

Some– including federal court judges appointed by Democratic and Republican presidents– would say that Trump pushed through and far beyond those boundaries weeks ago.

Cline insisted that Elon Musk “still has to follow all the privacy laws and all the laws that are on the books regarding personal data so he’s not going to be taking the data of Americans and doing anything with it. He’s trying to cut out the waste, cut out the stupid woke programs that people have been furious about for so long. And he’s doing a good job from the get-go.”

These reports, among many others, do not reassure.

The interviewer pointed out to Cline that Musk has contracts with the government and asked if there are sufficient guardrails.

Cline assured us: “The President was asked about conflicts of interest and he said there won’t be any and he’ll make sure of it. Now the President’s job is not to insure that his government employees avoid conflict of interest laws. But there are agencies and employees and people there to make sure those laws against conflict of interest are followed.”

If you can’t trust someone who made 30,573 false and misleading claims during his first Presidential term alone, who can… never mind.

And yes, there are people in the government who are supposed to watch out for conflicts of interest. They are– or were— independent inspectors general. You know, the ones Trump fired as soon as he could.

A message for Cline:

Reminder: Cline says he welcomes feedback from his Sixth District constituents– even if he is “fed up” with it. You can provide that feedback by calling his Washington office at (202) 225-5431.

Are all the phone calls and emails from his Sixth District constituents complaining about the activities of Elon Musk and his DOGE boys getting to Congressman Cline?

After making several calls to Cline’s office (202-225-5431) about Cline and others in Congress relinquishing to an unelected billionaire their responsibility to control spending, one constituent received the following letter:

Quite a change in tone from the long-winded and unpersuasive letter defending Trump, Musk and DOGE that many of us received earlier in the month. This was the letter he posted on his X account, where he whined that he was “fed up” with hearing from people in his district about Musk and DOGE.

But think of this latest letter as an effort to quiet the deluge of negative feedback Cline is receiving from constituents, and not as any change in Cline’s sycophantic approach to the Musk-Trump administration.

Just today he posted this on his X account:

In other words, keep the calls coming.

Now even folks in AUSTRALIA know that Ben Cline is fed up!

The clips of Elon Musk behaving like a goofball don’t exactly reinforce Cline’s message about Musk’s supposed trustworthiness.

And it’s wrong to suggest that Cline’s letter defending Musk and DOGE was a response to “Democratic lawmakers.” It was a response to a deluge of angry phone calls and emails from Cline’s Sixth District constituents.

Congressman Cline’s friends at Fox News (he is a frequent guest for softball interviews on Fox News and Business) have published an article about his infamous “fed up” post on X.

Cline did not dispel anything in his letter to constituents who expressed dismay over what Elon Musk and DOGE are doing. The article quotes extensively from Cline’s letter, but the reporter apparently made no effort to fact-check what he wrote or find out what his constituents are telling him.

Here is what I emailed to the reporter:

The reason Ben Cline is “fed up” is that his office is being inundated with phone calls and emails from people in the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia who express concern about what Elon Musk and DOGE are doing.

If I hear back, I will publish the response.

Did you see this? Congressman Cline is “fed up” with his constituents who are phoning and emailing his DC office to voice their opinions about unelected billionaire Elon Musk and his army of young DOGE weasels shutting down government agencies and having access to the most sensitive and private information about our tax returns and Social Security and Medicare accounts, among other things.

Cline posted a copy of the letter he is sending to constituents who contact him about Musk and DOGE. He takes six long-winded and unconvincing paragraphs to say that he is perfectly fine with what Musk and Trump are doing, that they are both worthy of our complete trust, and they would never do anything improper. 

The subtext of Cline’s post is: He does not want to hear any more from the people of the Sixth District about this matter. This despite his assurance that “I value all feedback from constituents.”

Cline’s congressional office will be open on Monday morning. The phone number is (202) 225-5431. Remember: If you’re a constituent, he values your feedback.

If you called Congressman Cline’s office (202-225-5431) this week about the role of an unelected billionaire in the Musk-Trump administration, you may have got this email in response.

Bottom line: Cline is perfectly fine with what Musk and Trump are doing, and thinks they are both worthy of our complete trust. Most of what he writes in the email is obfuscating BS. If someone wants to write a fact-based refutation of it, please let me know.

Dear Mr. Zitzer (sic),

Thank you for contacting my office regarding your concerns with businessman Elon Musk’s role in the Trump Administration. I appreciate hearing from you on this important topic.

As you know, today’s society relies heavily on technology. As technology develops and society evolves, so must our government. In fact, June 30, 2024 marked the deadline for all U.S. federal agencies to transition to fully electronic records. With that in mind, protecting the privacy of Sixth District constituents is a top priority. It is essential that we ensure the protection of individuals’ digital records under the control of the federal government, including Social Security and Medicare records.

I also believe it is crucial to recognize that the President of the United States, regardless of their party affiliation, has Article II constitutional authority to appoint individuals who can help execute their vision for the federal government. Most recently, President Trump designated Elon Musk as a “special government employee,” which is defined by Section 202 of Title 18 of the United States Code. President Trump’s decision to enlist Mr. Musk is a bold step toward strengthening America’s technological leadership and eliminating bureaucratic inefficiencies. This appointment is fully within the President’s discretion and is no different from past administrations appointing industry experts to key cabinet, advisory, and operational roles.

For over 20 years, Mr. Musk has undoubtedly showcased to the American people his unparalleled ability to drive innovation, develop world leading technologies, and ensure America is the world leader in energy, Artificial Intelligence, rocketry, transportation, and healthcare, among other fields.

Further, Musk is not a private citizen being given “unprecedented access to personal or sensitive information,” as the extreme left would lead you to believe. Mr. Musk holds some of the highest-level security clearances as a key defense contractor and his work is integral to ensuring U.S. military superiority. As you are aware, the rocket systems and satellites his companies produce are used across the federal government, including in the Department of Defense, and his Starlink system has been critical in supporting U.S. allies abroad. There are few, if any, private individuals who have done more to advance America’s technological and defense capabilities in modern history. If there is anyone qualified to bring the federal government into the 21st century and improve its efficiency, it is Elon Musk.

Additionally, led by Mr. Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is an essential initiative to reduce wasteful spending, cut bureaucratic red tape, and modernize government technology. On his first day in office, President Trump legally integrated DOGE into the federal government by way of an executive order renaming the U.S. Digital Service as the U.S. DOGE Service (USDS). Fully authorized under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), USDS will enhance government productivity and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly. Each executive agency’s DOGE Team works in coordination with agency heads in order to ensure the implementation of President Trump’s DOGE agenda. Treasury Secretary Scott Bissent has already approved DOGE’s lawful access to unclassified records and systems to facilitate this integration.

There is no evidence to support the allegation that Elon Musk or his team has unlawfully accessed or seized the sensitive data. Any access to citizen data is strictly regulated, and the role of DOGE is focused on modernizing outdated systems, not compiling private information. The real threat to Americans’ privacy has come from an unchecked bureaucracy that has mismanaged data security for decades. The reforms proposed by President Trump and implemented by individuals like Mr. Musk are designed to prevent government overreach, not expand it. The current laws protecting the privacy of citizen information have not been revoked and will be strongly enforced.

Additionally, to ensure proper legislative oversight of these efforts, I am proud to serve as a member of the new DOGE Caucus here in Congress. This caucus will work alongside President Trump to introduce reforms that streamline government operations, eliminate inefficiencies, and restore fiscal responsibility in Washington.

I appreciate you reaching out regarding this issue and welcome continued discussion on how Congress is taking proactive steps to strengthen our government’s technological and fiscal responsibility. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if I can be of further assistance. To receive the latest updates from my office, I encourage you to sign up for my e-newsletter at cline.house.gov or like/follow my Facebook, X, and Instagram.

Sincerely,

Ben Cline

Member of Congress