If you’ve been following Cline Watch for a while, you’ll recall Congressman Cline’s frantic efforts to link then-president Joe Biden and his son Hunter to corrupt endeavors.
Cline’s “brave whistleblower” charged with being an unregistered Chinese agent – Cline Watch
Cline whiffs again – Cline Watch
Is this the end of Cline’s “Biden corruption” crusade? (Hint: probably not) – Cline Watch
The efforts were based on allegations from highly dubious sources and on the unremarkable fact that Hunter Biden repaid his father $4,140 for purchase of a truck.
Cline referred several times to the “Biden Crime Family.” In September 2023, based on dodgy evidence, Cline backed an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden.
As I wrote in February 2024:
Rather than working on the everyday needs of his constituents– for good-paying jobs, quality health care, affordable housing and secure retirements– Congressman Cline has devoted an awful lot of his time and effort over the past year to a partisan effort to uncover corrupt connections between President Biden and his family.
As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Cline has been a loyal accomplice of chairman Jim Jordan in his attempt to find Biden-related criminality.
(Hunter Biden was convicted on federal gun charges and pleaded guilty to tax-related charges and was pardoned by President Biden before he left office. He was never charged in connection with the corruption that Cline accused him of.)
In a recent interview on WFIR radio, Cline said:
I’m optimistic, you know, that [Republicans are] going to keep the majority [in Congress]. But I am concerned because the Democrats have made it very clear that they’re going to go after the president. They’re going to try and impeach him. We’re going to be faced with these hearings, which are distraction from the very kitchen table issues that you and I both agree that the people want addressed. So. We want to address them. Democrats want to put on an impeachment show again, and that’s why I’m confident that we’re going to keep the House in November.
In other words, Cline is worried about distractions from the same issues that he was distracted from during the Biden presidency.
Which brings us to our current president Donald Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr.
While there was never any conclusive evidence of Hunter Biden’s corruption, the recent reports about an after-party for Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding are a flashing red light that even one of Cline’s Republican colleagues can’t ignore.
Sen. John Curtis, a Republican from Utah, said a wedding after-party for President Donald Trump’s son that was financed by a Russian oligarch was “corruption.”
“It just stinks,” Curtis said in a social media video posted late Friday. “It’s corruption. I don’t like it.”
ProPublica reported last week that Umar Kremlev, an oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, secretly paid for an after-party in the Bahamas where Donald Trump, Jr. was celebrating his May wedding.
…..
…The same day that Curtis released his video, President Donald Trump defended the party and said his son had paid Kremlev back.
Of course there would have been no reimbursement had not ProPublica reported the news.
As far as I can tell, Cline has had nothing to say publicly about all this or about any of the Trump family’s vast and open corruption. You’d almost think he was a political hack afraid to antagonize the Trumps as he tries to hold onto his seat in Congress.
Cline Watch 