Perhaps Congressman Cline is feeling some pressure due to his scheduling of a town hall meeting in a small room at the Rockbridge County Courthouse in Lexington, and because the demand for tickets has vastly exceeded supply.
The press release on Cline’s official website announcing the event– scheduled for Thursday September 25 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm– now includes this:
Still no word on the mysterious ticket distribution process, which resulted in people responding to Cline’s Facebook announcement of the town hall just minutes after it was posted being put on a “waitlist.”
I look forward to meeting with the citizens of Lexington. Just like previous town halls, this is a valuable opportunity for me to engage directly with residents of I look forward to meeting with the citizens of Lexington.
Event Details & Registration:
Registration is required via Eventbrite.
Each attendee must register individually. Only one (1) ticket per person is allowed.
Priority admission will be given to residents of Lexington.
If you are not a resident of Lexington, you may receive provisional admittance. My office will notify you 24 hours prior to the event if space becomes available.
Additional Notes:
Rep. Cline traditionally holds townhalls in each of 22 localities in the Sixth District each term.
Due to courthouse policy, cell phones, smart phones, iPads, iPods, or other electronic devices are not permitted inside the venue.
Signs and noisemakers are not permitted at the event.
A group of Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus called for a select committee to investigate the โthe money, influence, and power behind the radical leftโs assault on America and the rule of lawโ in the wake of the assassination of conservative powerhouse Charlie Kirk.
The group of 23 members, led by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), articulated the request in a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Thursday, before Kirkโs suspected assassin was apprehended.
The letter concludes:
Enough is enough. We must follow the money to identify the perpetrators of the coordinated antiAmerican assaults being carried out against us and take all steps under the law necessary to stop them. The best option is a full, stand-alone committee with complete authority to elevate and investigate these matters. However, I respectfully request that we establish such a committee. It should be comprised of Members and staff with prosecutorial and/or law enforcement backgrounds, and we should grant it full subpoena powers and authority to deliver results.
We can no longer pretend to be bound together by shared ideals when a well-funded, vitriolic cadre of our fellow Americans and foreign interests are at war with the very values of faith in God, fidelity to our Constitution, and respect for the principles of liberty and Western Civilization that define us as Americans โ including, notably, the free speech practiced and exemplified by Charlie Kirk.
Although he isn’t mentioned in the article, among the signers is Congressman Cline.
It singles out for blame– and investigation– the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Wren Collective and that longtime object of rightwing fear and loathing George Soros. None of them has ever advocated or condoned political violence.
The letter mentions as examples of a “sustained breakdown of law and order, fueled not by chance, but by anti-American ideology” the 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump and the 2017 shooting of Republican lawmakers at baseball practice. It notably does not mention the murder of a Democratic legislator and her husband and the wounding of another legislator and his wife in Minnesota; the arson attempt at the residence of the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro; and the brutal attack on the husband of Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.
Why is that, Congressman Cline?
In fact the Department of Justice reported that rightwing extremists were responsible for far more political murders in the US than those on the left. Or it did until the DoJ recently removed the report from its website.
Cline spoke on the House floor this week paying tribute to Charlie Kirk and “his commitment to free speech and open dialogue.”
How does the threatening letter signed by Cline– obviously meant to silence and intimidate– foster that?
On Thursday I phoned Congressman Cline’s Washington office (202-225-5431) and posed the following questions for him:
โข Are you going to sign the bipartisan discharge petition to force a vote in the House to release the FULL Epstein files?
โข Do you agree with the White House that signing the petition is a “very hostile act”?
On Friday I received the following email from Cline’s office:
Bottom line: Cline won’t dare sign the discharge petition for fear of retribution by Trump and his supporters.
According to Robert Garcia, ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee:
โThe 33,000 pages of Epstein documents [committee chair] James Comer has decided to โreleaseโ were already mostly public information. To the American people โ donโt let this fool you.
After careful review, Oversight Democrats have found that 97% of the documents received from the Department of Justice were already public. There is no mention of any client list or anything that improves transparency or justice for victims.
House Republicans are trying to make a spectacle of releasing already-public documents. Pam Bondi has said the client list was on her desk. She could release it right now if she wanted to.
While Comer tries to give cover to Trump by re-releasing public documents, House Democrats are fighting for real transparency. Pam Bondi must comply with our subpoena immediately, and release all of the documents. The American people demand it.โ
Congressman Thomas Massie, one of a handful of Republicans supporting the petition, made clear that the non-binding House Resolution 668 that Cline voted for wasn’t enough:
Republican leaders are hoping that document release and a vote on an alternative symbolic measure will head off Massieโs efforts to get his bill to the House floor.
โIt doesnโt change a thing,โ Massie told reporters. โItโs giving political cover for some people, but thatโs fleeting, because eventually people are going to pore through those documents and find out thereโs nothing new in there.โ
On Wednesday a group of survivors of abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded with House members to vote to release the entire Epstein files– which requires a majority to sign the petition that Cline and most other House Republicans refuse to sign.
All of which raises the question: Why are Cline and other Congressional Republicans, as well as Donald Trump (who refers to the Epstein matter as a hoax), so desperate to prevent a vote to release the full records?
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 Gilbertโs 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 Leeโs 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 โ a former Virginia assistant attorney general who had earlier been a contender for Gilbertโs job โ was appointed by the Department of Justice to replace Lee. Tracci began work Aug. 4 as the officeโs 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 thereโs a vacancy at the top.
Here’s what Gilbert posted at the time:
Now Gilbert has accepted a new position as an assistant Commonwealthโs 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.
The first local impact of the Trump/MAGA Big Ugly Bill is here, with Augusta Medical Group announcing Thursday the closure of three primary care facilities in the region.
The closures/consolidations will impact patients in Buena Vista, Churchville and Weyers Cave, all on the periphery of the Augusta Medical Group/Augusta Health service area.
…..
The press release announcing the news at the same time casts the closures as โpart of Augusta Medical Group/Augusta Healthโs ongoing response to theย One Big Beautiful Bill Actย and the resulting realities for healthcare delivery,โ and also tries to soft-pedal the closures as a consolidation of services.
In August The Rockbridge Advocate reported:
Goshen Vice-Mayor Steve Binkley reported that the Rockbridge Area Health Center, citing anticipated Medicaid cuts, abandoned plans to open a branch in the townโs new Community Center.
Congressman Cline voted for this bill and called it “a great victory for American families.”
Among the visitors to the Lexington-Rockbridge-Buena Vista Democrats’ booth at the Rockbridge Community Festival on Saturday was Congressman Cline.
Although Cline greeted us volunteers politely, he dodged questions about when he might hold another town hall meeting in the Sixth District. (His last town hall was in November 2024.) Asked when the next town hall will be, he said he would let us know.
He also complained about a sign at our booth calling out his vote for Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” He said it was untrue.
However:
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the BBB will increase the number of Americans without health insurance by 10 million by 2034, due largely to cuts of almost $1 trillion in Medicaid.
The Center for Medicare Advocacy reports that several provisions of the BBB directly target Medicare beneficiaries, including:
โข New Restrictions on Lawfully Present Immigrants
โข Blocking Improvements to Medicare Savings Programs
โข Blocking Nursing Home Staffing Standards
โข Limiting Medicareโs Ability to Negotiate Drug Prices
But before we join Cline in the accolades, here are some inconvenient facts to consider:
– U.S. administration claims historic tariff hikes and trade deals with EU, Japan, Philippines, but lacks detailed agreements or written documentation.
– Partners dispute U.S. claims of investment commitments, with EU clarifying zero-tariff benefits apply only to limited products like aircraft.
– Japan’s 5.5 trillion yen investment pledge faces ambiguity over profit-sharing ratios and funding structure, described as “loans and investments” without specifics.
– Vietnam and Indonesia reject U.S. tariff claims while disputing mineral export commitments, highlighting gaps between administration statements and partner confirmations.
– Lack of transparency risks undermining party unity and corporate trust, as key provisions remain unverified and negotiations on critical sectors continue.
And sorry, Congressman. All of these “deals” involve increases in tariffs on products imported from these countries– meaning, ultimately, higher prices for American consumers, especially those least able to afford them. Your Sixth District constituents are not exempt.
Although businesses have so far absorbed the brunt of new tariffs, by covering higher costs themselves or relying on earlier stockpiles of inventory to keep them going, that is quickly changing. Major retailers, including Costco, Williams-Sonoma and Target, that loaded up on products earlier in the year are beginning to deplete those reserves, analysts say.
…..
Walmart, the countryโs largest retailer, has begun marking up baby gear, kitchenware and toys. Nike is raising prices on some of its shoes, and many others are beginning to warn consumers that price increases are around the corner. Procter & Gamble, the maker of Tide laundry detergent, Pampers diapers and Oral-B toothbrushes, said it would start raising prices in August on some products by about 2.5 percent to help offset $1 billion in tariff costs this year.
And finally, Congressman: please read Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution, which clearly grants Congress, not the President, the authority to set tariffs. Even if it had been cut out of the original at the National Archives, you would be able to find it in the copy you claim to carry with you everywhere you go.
Congressman Cline continues to heap praise on Elon Musk’s (remember him?) Department of Government Efficiency by uncritically regurgitating DOGE’s claims of supposedly massive savings.
.@DOGE has done a tremendous job rooting out wasteful government spending.ย
The estimated savings?
$1,236 per taxpayer, totaling $199 billion. This is exactly how we get our country back on the right fiscal track. pic.twitter.com/OnXDjtW3W6
There are reasons to be extremely skeptical. CBS News reports:
The DOGE website reports a grand total of $199 โฏbillion saved, when factoring in real estate lease cancellations and other cuts such as personnel reductions. However, it provides no documentation for roughly half of that amount. According to DOGE, the savings equate to $1,236.02 per person in the U.S.
According to Nat Malkus, a senior fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, “The amount they have per person is fiction. It’s transparency theater.”
A substantial portion of those purported savings is a result of cuts to USAID. A recentย studyย in the medical journal The Lancet says those cuts could come with a human toll. By the study’s estimates, the loss in humanitarian aid could lead to 14 million deaths in children younger than 5 years of age by 2030.
But even if we accept the $199 billion in savings as accurate (which we shouldn’t), that would still be less than 10 percent of the $2 trillion in savings that Cline strangely considered a realistic possibility last November.
Cline Watch 