Ben Cline and democracy
Ben Cline doesn’t stand up for democracy
In 1974, we were represented by a member of Congress who understood the country came before his party.
M. Caldwell Butler — Honorable Statesman
In 1974, M. Caldwell Butler from Roanoke was a Republican freshman congressman. Like Ben Cline, he entered Congress and was immediately faced with a President of his party whose actions were problematic. Unlike Ben Cline, Caldwell Butler understood that his oath required him to put his country ahead of his party. Butler called Watergate “our shame,” meaning Republicans’ shame. Having spent years working for a party that complained about the lies and dishonesty of Democrats, he felt obligated to speak the truth about his own President, who was a personal friend. The voters returned him to Congress four more times.
Ben Cline is No Caldwell Butler
Cline was elected to Congress two years into Donald Trump's presidency. He said he was going to Washington to be a bipartisan problem solver. Did he deliver on that promise?
Cline has never questioned the actions or integrity of a man who told more than 30,000 lies during his time in office.
He did not vote for impeachment after the quid pro quo call with the Ukrainian president was exposed.
He participated in Trump’s efforts to overturn the election between November 2020 and January 6, 2021. See the video for what he was saying, even as Trump’s court cases were being dismissed nationwide.
Cline voted against impeachment a second time after the January 6 insurrection, insisting incorrectly that an impeachment requires proof at the level of a legal trial.
He is not interested in looking at any evidence related to January 6. Cline voted against creating a committee to investigate the attack, and ever since he has disparaged and dismissed the committee's work.