Opinion
Sure Representative Ben Cline wants to move past January 6th accountability
Rep. Ben Cline opines that Congressional Democrats and presumably Republicans who voted to impeach and convict Donald Trump were wasting time.
Donald Trump was impeached for his role in instigating the insurrection and attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6. He was acquitted in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 57 to 43. He got the 43. Try that in baseball.
Mr. Cline is anxious to get on with business and well he should be.
Why did the president urge his followers to go to the Capitol that day? He made it quite clear that he wanted them to go in support of those Members of Congress who were supporting his claim that the 2020 election had been stolen from him and them.
The story of a stolen election was the Big Lie. The election was not stolen. There is no evidence that it was. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Republican Leader, made that clear after the acquittal of the former President on February 13.
Senator McConnell blamed the former president and “other powerful people” for perpetuating the Big Lie. Now, who were those “other powerful people?” Why they were Members of Congress of course who continued to spread the Big Lie. Who is on the list of Members of Congress who told the people that if they could just find the votes to overturn the certification of the Electoral College votes all would be well?
Rep. Ben Cline is on the list.
Mr. Cline knew full well that the votes were not there to require a reshuffling of the electoral deck. He knew his encouragement of the insurrectionists would only end in their frustration and anger, the anger that was on display on January 6.
Why did Ben Cline do this? Because he wanted to provide Trump supporters in the 6th District with an empty gesture proving his fealty to the former president.
Even after he saw the anger that resulted in the death of a police officer and others in the Capitol, Ben Cline marched down to the floor of the House and perpetuated the Big Lie one more time.
It is small wonder that Ben Cline wants to change the subject.
Mr. Cline thinks the effort to hold responsible those who instigated the attack on the Capitol is a waste of time. He wants people to look away from him.
Tom Howarth
Warren County, Virginia