Remember Todd Gilbert, Congressman?

It was only two months ago that Congressman Cline was celebrating the Trump administration’s nomination of Republican Delegate Todd Gilbert as the next US Attorney for the Western District of Virginia.

On Facebook, Cline showered praise on his former colleague in the Virginia House of Delegates.

But things didn’t go smoothly for Gilbert, as Roanoke Times reported on August 23:

Gilbert, who was nominated by President Donald Trump, resigned on Wednesday. The former Republican state lawmaker did not publicly explain the reason for his unusual and unexpected departure, which came less than two months after he was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. He did not return calls and texts this week.

But according to a person with knowledge of what happened, Gilbert had a falling out with officials in the Trump administration over his second-in-command, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Lee.

Lee had been serving as acting U.S. attorney until Gilbert’s appointment, at which time he resumed his previous duties. Lee also was first assistant U.S. attorney under Chris Kavanaugh, the former U.S. attorney who was nominated by then-President Joe Biden.

Concerned about what they believed to be Lee’s connections to the former Democratic administration, Trump officials pushed Gilbert to replace him with someone more in step with their agenda, the source said.

When Gilbert resisted, Robert Tracci — a former Virginia assistant attorney general who had earlier been a contender for Gilbert’s job — was appointed by the Department of Justice to replace Lee. Tracci began work Aug. 4 as the office’s new first assistant U.S. attorney.

An irritated Gilbert then named Lee as senior counsel and executive assistant U.S. attorney, a new position that retained much of the authority of his old job.

Angered by his actions, administration officials gave Gilbert a choice: resign or be fired, according to the source, who asked not to be identified.

When Gilbert resigned, Tracci became acting U.S. attorney under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which elevates the first assistant U.S. attorney to the position of acting head prosecutor when there’s a vacancy at the top.

Here’s what Gilbert posted at the time:

Now Gilbert has accepted a new position as an assistant Commonwealth’s attorney in Page County.

As for Gilbert, whose rightwing credentials as a delegate were impeccable, this is “a great example of MAGA eating its own,” as Chris Graham observed at The Augusta Free Press.

You’d think Ben Cline would be angry at the administration’s shabby treatment of his friend. If he is, he’s been remarkably quiet about. He hasn’t said a word publicly about the whole messy business. Cline hasn’t done much good as a member of Congress but he has excelled at avoiding even the mildest criticism of Trump while heaping sycophantic acclaim on him.