Category: Uncategorized

Cline cops out on Epstein files

On Thursday I phoned Congressman Cline’s Washington office (202-225-5431) and posed the following questions for him:

• Are you going to sign the bipartisan discharge petition to force a vote in the House to release the FULL Epstein files?

• 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:

“The 33,000 pages of Epstein documents [committee chair] James Comer has decided to ‘release’ were already mostly public information. To the American people – don’t 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.”

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 Massie’s efforts to get his bill to the House floor.

“It doesn’t change a thing,” Massie told reporters. “It’s giving political cover for some people, but that’s fleeting, because eventually people are going to pore through those documents and find out there’s nothing new in there.”

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?

What are they trying to hide?

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.

A “great victory,” Congressman?

The Augusta Free Press reports:

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 “part of Augusta Medical Group/Augusta Health’s ongoing response to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the resulting realities for healthcare delivery,” 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 town’s new Community Center.

Congressman Cline voted for this bill and called it “a great victory for American families.”

The sign stayed put

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:

• New Restrictions on Lawfully Present Immigrants

• Blocking Improvements to Medicare Savings Programs

• Blocking Nursing Home Staffing Standards

• Limiting Medicare’s Ability to Negotiate Drug Prices

Cline said we should remove the sign.

We didn’t.

Cline goes along with Trump’s tariff fantasy

Congressman Cline thinks Donald Trump deserves praise for negotiating these dubious “trade deals.”

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 country’s 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.

Cline’s sad, naive faith in DOGE

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.

There are reasons to be extremely skeptical. CBS News reports:

The DOGE website reports a grand total of $199  billion 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 recent study 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.

In fact it’s possible that DOGE will end up costing the government more money than it saves.

It would be nice to get some answers from Cline about this (and many other things). If we can find him.

Waynesboro provides free school meals which Cline tried to block

The Waynesboro, Virginia, public schools will provide free breakfasts and lunches to all students without requiring applications from parents.

If Congressman Cline had his way, this would have been illegal.

Last year the House Republican Study Committee, of which Cline is a leading member, introduced a budget that would ban universal free school meals.

The budget — co-signed by more than 170 House Republicans — calls to eliminate “the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) from the School Lunch Program.” The CEP, the Republicans note, “allows certain schools to provide free school lunches regardless of the individual eligibility of each student.” 

“Additionally,” the Republicans continue, “the RSC Budget would limit spending in the program to truly needy households.”

The CEP allows schools and districts in low-income areas to provide breakfast and lunch to all students, free of charge. The program thus relieves both schools and families from administrative paperwork, removing the inefficiencies and barriers of means-testing, all on the pathway to feeding more children and lifting all boats.

As I wrote at the time:

It’s ironic that Cline– who regularly rails against excessive government bureaucracy and regulations– wants to require families to prove they are “truly needy” before their kids can get free meals at school.

…..

And of course, universal free school meals eliminate the hurtful divisions between children whose families can and can’t afford to pay.

Well done to the Waynesboro public schools– which will be keeping all kids fed regardless of parents’ income and despite Cline’s disapproval.

GOP state senator: Cline-backed bill creates a “foreboding fear”

Chris Head is the Republican state senator representing all of Alleghany County, Botetourt County, Craig County, Rockbridge County, Buena Vista, Covington, Lexington, Staunton, Waynesboro and parts of Augusta County and Roanoke County.

This “foreboding fear” was created by passage of “Big Beautiful Bill” that Congressman Cline enthusiastically supported.

Number of town hall meetings that Cline has scheduled so far to hear concerns from his constituents during the current six-week House recess: 0.

Cline-backed cut threatens vital information source for constituents

After Congressman Cline voted with other House Republicans to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting and to cut foreign aid, he posted this on his X account.

According to the Center for American Progress:

The roughly $8.3 billion in targeted [foreign aid] accounts support U.S. responses to conflict, hunger, disease, and democratic decline—all core tools for advancing American interests and global stability. 

So it’s likely that countless people in other countries will suffer and die as a result of these cuts.

As for the elimination of funds for public broadcasting, that hits a lot closer to home.

Allegheny Mountain Radio is a network of three public radio stations serving Pocahontas County in West Virginia and Bath and Highland Counties in Virginia. Bath and Highland are part of the Sixth Congressional District represented by Cline.

Like many rural public broadcasters, AMR lacks the large and relatively affluent donor base of urban public stations. So AMR depends on federal funding to cover more than 60 percent of its budget.

With that revenue source (which Cline calls “wasteful”) gone, it’s doubtful that AMR will be able to continue serving its rural listeners.

[General manager Scott] Smith says the radio cooperative helps knit together a region where it isn’t easy to connect because of the mountains and the spotty access to phone and internet. Much of its coverage area lies inside the Monongahela and George Washington and Jefferson National forests. During a nearly 75-mile drive from an interstate to WVMR, which sits in Dunmore, W. Va., an NPR reporter had no internet connection.

Some people here say they really value the news and community information Allegheny Mountain provides. Jay Garber, mayor of the town of Monterey, Va., says the radio remains the fastest way to let citizens know about everything from water main breaks to road closures.

“It’s our only source of local, daily information,” says Garber, sitting in his office along Main Street. “We have a newspaper that’s printed once a week, so without the radio station, we’re kind of in the blind here, locally.”

By voting to undercut a source of vital information for his constituents, Cline has once again proved his utter contempt for the people he purports to represent.

Cline: “Don’t look here! Look there!”

Donald Trump recently forgot that he appointed Jerome Powell as chairman of the Federal Reserve.

And Trump continues to show signs of mental confusion (to put it politely) almost every time he opens his mouth.

And of course there’s the whole Jeffrey Epstein business.

But Congressman Cline thinks we should focus instead on the previous president rather than the current one.

I can’t imagine why. Can you?