No surprise, of course. Ever since Trump was elected in 2016, and even after he was voted out in 2020, Cline has never had a bad word to say about this dangerous, narcissistic threat to democracy. Six months after the January 6, 2021, insurrection that Trump triggered in an effort to steal the 2020 election, Cline was pleased to call Trump “our great President.” He proudly proclaimed Trump’s endorsement for his reelection in 2022.

(By the way, during Trump’s presidency, the economy lost 2.9 million jobs and the unemployment rate increased by 1.6 percentage points to 6.3 percent. The federal debt went up from $14.4 trillion to $21.6 trillion. Illegal immigration increased. Trump’s foreign policy “achievements” included falling in love with a brutal Communist ruler and befriending two other dictators.)

Cline will now have to defend (or more likely make excuses for) an increasingly deranged and desperate man facing 91 criminal charges– that is, if enough of his constituents insist that he do so. He doesn’t like responding to emails and phone calls about many things, including his support for Trump. So that means confronting him at every opportunity– at constituent meetings and any other public appearances.

And please let me know what happens when you do.

Congressman Cline will meet with constituents on Tuesday December 19 at 5:30 p.m. in Bath County at Country Cafe, 6156 Sam Snead Highway, Hot Springs. Register here.

According to Cline’s website: “Citizens of Bath County will be given priority regarding comments during Coffee with your Congressman. One (1) ticket per registrant. Attendees will be responsible for any food and/or beverages purchased during the event. Signs and noisemakers are prohibited.”

.@GOPOversight uncovered bank statements that show MULTIPLE direct payments to Joe Biden from Hunter’s entity, Owasco P.C., which took in millions from China.

So much for “I have no knowledge of my son’s overseas business dealings.” pic.twitter.com/2Hc7jMbmjY

— Congressman Ben Cline (@RepBenCline) December 4, 2023

In Congressman Cline’s latest attempt to find Biden-related corruption, he pounced on the not-so-scandalous fact that Hunter Biden repaid his father $4,140 for purchase of a truck.

The three payments of $1,380 that occurred in September, October and November 2018 — nearly two years after Biden had left the vice presidency — were actually for a 2018 Ford Raptor truck Joe Biden had purchased that Hunter Biden was using, according to an email verified by a Washington Post forensic analysis.

You’re embarrassing yourself, Congressman. And lame ripostes like this don’t help– especially when the man you called “our great President” faces 91 criminal charges.

According to the Ranking Member on my @JudiciaryGOP Subcommittee, Mr. Swalwell, “this Congress is more like the @WWE.”

If we’re the WWE, then the Biden Crime Family is the equivalent of The Sopranos. pic.twitter.com/N1sMnHDcdI

— Congressman Ben Cline (@RepBenCline) December 1, 2023

Raw Story reports:

Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA) accused Hunter Biden of “blocking” Rep. James Comer’s (R-KY) impeachment investigation by offering to testify in public.

During an interview on Newsmax, Cline suggested that the offer was a plot to stall the probe.

“Well, this committee is trying to get the facts, get to the bottom of the corruption that was going on in the Biden family between Hunter Biden and the rest of the family and exactly follow the money to where it leads, and they’re preparing a report to give to the Judiciary Committee,” [Cline] explained. “The Democrats are stalling. They’ve essentially sent the message to Hunter Biden that we will protect you if it’s in public and for show.”

In recent months Cline has thrown unsubstantiated corruption allegations at Hunter and Joe Biden. So now that Hunter Biden has agreed to answer Cline’s and other Republicans’ allegations under oath in public, Cline claims it’s part of a nefarious effort to hide the truth– whatever that is.

For the past year or so, Congressman Cline has been banging on about the Biden administration’s supposed “weaponization” of the government to go after political opponents.

Just one example from Cline’s Congressional Facebook page:

Although he never presents any compelling evidence for his claims, Cline clearly believes “weaponization” (whatever that means) of government is a terrible thing.

So I can only assume that Cline was properly outraged when Donald Trump (“our great President“) flat-out said that he could weaponize federal agencies to go after his opponents in a second Presidential term.

During the interview on the Spanish-language TV network, journalist Enrique Acevedo asked Trump if he would weaponize the FBI and Justice Department on his opponents in the same way he claims federal law enforcement agencies have been weaponized against him.

“Yeah. If they do this, and they’ve already done it, but if they follow through on this, yeah, it could certainly happen in reverse,” Trump told Acevedo, according to excerpts of the interview.

“What they’ve done is they’ve released the genie out of the box,” the former president continued, adding, “You know, when you’re president and you’ve done a good job and you’re popular, you don’t go after them so you can win an election.”

You were outraged, weren’t you, Congressman? Congressman? Hello…

Watch Congressman Cline smirk his way through a spectacularly wrong-headed Election Day interview with ABC News in which he tries to paint Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed abortion ban as a reasonable “middle ground” which most Virginians support. (Cline himself wants a total ban with no exceptions.)

Sorry, Congressman. It didn’t work that way.

Congressman Cline continues to function as Vladimir Putin’s man in western Virginia.

As I noted in July, Cline voted YES on three amendments to cut off American assistance to Ukraine in its fight against murderous Russian aggression.

Last week he joined other House Republicans to approve military aid to Israel to be funded by undercutting the Internal Revenue Service’s ability to go after wealthy tax cheats.

The Republican-controlled House on Thursday approved legislation to send roughly $14 billion in emergency aid to Israel and cut about the same amount from the Internal Revenue Service, in a deeply divided vote on a measure that Senate leaders say they won’t take up and President Biden has already threatened to veto.

Biden in October requested $106 billion in emergency foreign aid for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion, Israel’s response to Hamas’s attacks and to counter Chinese influence in the Pacific.

…..

But the cuts to the IRS would actually cost taxpayers money, meaning the aid for Israel would add to the deficit even more than just borrowing the $14 billion Biden wants to send, according to a nonpartisan analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. The move would reduce the tax agency’s ability to audit high-income earners and tax evaders, costing taxpayers $26.8 billion in lost tax revenue, the CBO projected. IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel put the lost income at closer to $90 billion.

After the vote, Cline posted on X:

Cline’s sneer at those who “push for more Ukraine funding” tells you all you need to know about his cowardly retreat on support for the Ukrainian people who are resisting the Russian onslaught. Last year he pleaded for campaign contributions based on his supposed “unwavering support of American ally Ukraine and my rebuke of Russia’s atrocities against the people there.”

Unwavering support? Really, Congressman?

Cline should consider the words of Amir Tibon, an Israeli who survived 10 hours under Hamas siege, protecting two small children. He was responding to a proposal by Republican Senator Josh Hawley to transfer aid from Ukraine to Israel.

It’s no surprise that Congressman Cline joined every other Republican in Congress to elect Mike Johnson of Louisiana as the new Speaker of the House.

After all Johnson, like Cline, is an election denier, a forced birth advocate and a Trump enthusiast who supports cuts in Social Security benefits.

But Cline did the right thing in 2022 when he voted for the PACT Act, which expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances.

But on the PACT Act, Mike Johnson voted NO. Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania– a Veteran– called him out on it.

It seems no Republicans are willing to do the same.

Pathetic indeed.

Apparently Congressman Cline decided he went too far when he called the majority of his House Republican colleagues cowardly Swamp creatures:

The post has vanished from his X feed. This is what you get when you click on the link:

As always, Cline Watch is pleased to preserve for posterity the social media posts that Cline wants us to forget.

Congressman Cline’s desperate effort to prove that Joe Biden did something illegal and corrupt shows no sign of ending. Here’s the latest:

But here’s the mundane truth:

That’s right. Even Steve Bannon calls House Oversight Committee chair James Comer a clown.