February 17th, 2025

On Monday’s Mark Levin Show, critics are trashing Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice for allegedly politicizing prosecutions and investigations. Despite the increasingly alarmist claims about the politicization of the Trump DOJ, the Supreme Court needs to disregard the noise from commentators and swiftly address the judicial overreach by lower court judges who are usurping fundamental executive powers. These district judges are severely undermining the separation of powers and representative government, eroding public trust in the judiciary. It is their politicization that poses a real threat to the justice system. Additionally, Iran has killed and injured Americans, even attempting to assassinate President Trump. They have openly declared the U.S. and Israel as enemies. The notion that a nuclear-armed Iran could be controlled is suicidal. Fortunately, Trump’s official stance is clear: Iran must never obtain nuclear weapons, and he’s leading this policy. Elbridge Colby doesn’t believe Iran should get nukes or that it could be managed anymore. Later, there are deep state allies filing lawsuits to block Trump’s agenda. These radical judges are trying to control the executive branch. The American Bar Association has been a major recipient of USAID funding. Several judges ruling against Trump’s agenda have received USAID funding and they haven’t recused themselves. It seems like everyone has been on the take from USAID. Finally, Democrats are pushing hard for a government shutdown so they can blame Trump, Musk, and the Republicans. Also, if Democrats win the House in the next election cycle they will attempt to impeach Trump.

Photo by Kevin Dietsch

The podcast for this show can be streamed or downloaded from the Audio Rewind page.

Rough transcription of Hour 1

Segment 1
Hello, America. Mark Levin here. Good day. Welcome to this show. Our number is 877-381-3811. 877-381-3811. Let’s tidy up. A few things have been hanging out there over the weekend and today. First. We have some friends over at National Review. One to protect was trashing the hell out of Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice. Trashing the hell out of them for politicizing prosecutions. Politicizing investigations. For which they will one day be sorry. I spent a lot of time at Main Justice. When you read the case against Mayor Adams, it is a very. Truly pathetic case, and the timing is outrageous. We have protections in place. I thought we did. We’re before U.S. attorney pulls the trigger like that in a highly. Political case with an election. A primary on the horizon. There needs to be consultations with the attorney general of the United States, and perhaps there were. So why are there consultations with the attorney general of the United States? Because he or she has the final say. That’s why we even have the office of the U.S. Attorneys at Main Justice, the purpose of which is to help coordinate with all 93 U.S. attorneys. And the assistant attorney general for the criminal division, the deputy attorney general of the United States, under whom the criminal activities are overseen, and then ultimately the attorney general, the United States. And so to make the allegation. Because what is it, nine prosecutors, both in the Southern district of New York and Main Justice have resigned. There are literally 90,000 employees of the Department of Justice, thousands of prosecutors and investigators. Some of these resignations, no doubt. No doubt our. Ethical in nature, but others are intended to draw as much attention. The arguments in the claims, but the person resigning is anything else. I’ve seen this myself. When Attorney General Meese was the attorney general, there was a coordinated effort by the associate attorney general, the head of the criminal division, William Weld at the time, as well as their deputies, to resign over an independent counsel matter where they felt the attorney general himself should resign. So I’ve seen these sorts of things before, and I don’t get sucked into them, and neither should you. A lot of this drama and the headlines that the Department of Justice is out of control. The Department of Justice has this. The Department of Justice says that 99.9% of the people, the Department of Justice, aren’t even paying attention to what the hell’s going on in the Southern District of New York. The Southern District of New York holds itself out. As the premier U.S. Attorney’s office. A lot of lawyers try to get jobs there as assistant attorney general or special assistant attorney general or what have you. Looks good on the resume. There’s a level of arrogance. In the Senate district in New York. There really isn’t in any other district. As a matter of fact, including the Eastern District of New York. Just because they bring a case doesn’t make it right. Doesn’t make it just. And it doesn’t mean the attorney general of the United States who ultimately has supervision over all 93 U.S. attorneys and their offices should ignore them. And if she believes or for deputy believes and in consultation with one another. That the case brought against Mayor Adams. And they do have access to virtually all the information, then they should do something about it. And it is courageous to do something about it because as you can see. You get these? These individuals. Who write pieces or say things. Who are not encumbered with all the facts. There is no way they are. Unless, of course, the U.S. Attorney’s office is leaking division. One would hope they’re not. So it’s a very fair call. If that’s the conclusion that’s reached by the hierarchy at the Department of Justice. There’s many lawyers who think it’s a fair call, including the lawyers who represented Governor Bob McDonnell, who looked at it. Including many other lawyers, including me. I’m no special pleader for Mayor Adams. I think he’s a failure, to be perfectly honest with you. Maybe he’s gotten better over time because he has seen the the disaster of his more left of center policies. I don’t much care. But I call them as I see them. It’s that simple. Now jump in and make the assertion. With little more than what looking at public events. The way it’s being made. And not once, not twice, but repeatedly, as if it’s a fact. Because you happen to declare it is really pretty damn outrageous. That’s number one. Number two. The Department of Justice. It’s supposed to do justice. When the prior regime at the Department of Justice. Was conducting itself in a way in which it was bringing these outrageous cases against the former president and then the candidate for the presidency. Absolutely, unbelievably unprecedented things we’ve never seen before. When the attorney general makes an unconstitutional appointment, which two prior attorneys general, including my former attorney general Ed Meese, says it’s black and white, that he absolutely violated the appointments clause. That raises serious questions, does it not? When a special counsel is appointed to investigate a political opponent. That’s not the purpose of a special counsel. The purpose of a special counsel is to investigate within the family, within the House. The theory being that a U.S. attorney’s office appointed. By that administration cannot do. An equal and just job of conducting an investigation. Whether you believe that or not is not the point. You don’t then use that process at the Department of Justice to turn it on its head and go after, say, Donald Trump. Do you. The leaks that came out of this Department of Justice and the special counsel, the abuse of various evidence rules in the courtroom, the abuse of the grand jury process and the changes in the grand juries in midstream. I could go on and on and on. You had at least one of their prosecutors accused of threatening one of the defense lawyers with what, losing his potential judgeship for which he was said to be under consideration. And some of these lawyers. Who left eventually. Donald Trump have spoken to me on and off the record and they said the conduct to this Department of Justice was absolutely outrageous. And these aren’t all individuals who marched behind the march behind the Republican Party and Donald Trump. These are people who’ve been practicing for 30, 35 years, some one of them 40 years. So what do we do? Do we ignore it? Do we ignore the fact that the prior regime in the Department of Justice rejected the 2000 memo? The 2000 memo. That is the memo that the Department of Justice embraced. Saying you don’t indict public officials. Not just 60 days before an election, but the things you do and the things you say that might influence election. There are problematic or that you have this prosecutor who pushed the Supreme Court to the edge of the envelope on his immunity arguments. Just absolutely outrageous. And we could go on. But there’s no point in going on. Is it legitimate, therefore, that Pam Bondi and the new people, the Department of Justice, say, we want to look at this. We want to hold people accountable if they violated any rules or the law for sure. And we want to make sure this never happens again. Is it that their job? To ensure that internally the Department of Justice is not politically corrupt or motivated. Because I remember times when it was politically motivated. I remember times when the Department of Justice went after Martin Luther King. I remember at times when the Department of Justice authorized illegal wiretaps. Including and do Barry Goldwater’s campaign. I remember the time when the Department of Justice authorized the White House to go into the Internal Revenue records. A businessman like Andrew Mellon and others. Who I didn’t care for, I didn’t like. I remember the time not that long ago when Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska. God rest his soul, he died in an airplane crash in Alaska, where he’s brought to trial in Washington, D.C. on corruption charges. And it was later found out that the Department of Justice prosecutors withheld evidence. That would have helped the defense. They would have undermined the Department of Justice’s case. How about the case of Bob McDonnell? Well, the same Jack Smith brought a case and basically read the bribery statute, rewrote it so broadly that a unanimous Supreme Court eight voting 8 to 0. Overturned it, even though the district judge didn’t, even though the appellate panel didn’t. The Supreme Court said, no, that’s not right. I remember a time when the former administrative Nasser Jim Banks. He was an executive vice president, I think, at General Dynamics. The Criminal Division led the charge, the Public Integrity Section. They brought it corruption charges against him. In the course of the Reagan administration. I was chief of staff. Attorney General Meese was never comfortable with this. Not because it was bags or the administrator, the Nasser, but because he looked at the charges. He spoke to the head of the criminal division, Bill Weld, who would later go on to be governor of Massachusetts, who would later resign, stabbing me in the back to try and force me to. Well said. No, it’s a slam dunk case. The problem is, 17 months later, they dropped it. Because they didn’t have what they needed to support the charges they had brought. The attorney general of the United States, Ed Meese, directed the head of the criminal division, William Weld. To send a letter of apology to Mr. Beggs. William Weld refused in the final days of the Miss. Attorney General Shipp. He said, Look, it was in good faith. We made mistakes. There’s nothing to apologize for. Of course, they destroyed the man’s life. They broke him financially, had to resign as the administrator of NASA, but no big deal. So one of his final acts. Ed Meese called me into his office. Before he left. And he had me right. As he dictated. A personal letter. Apology to Mr. Beck’s. And then he had me release it to the media. So they understood. That what was done to him was outrageous. I read to you a few weeks ago what Robert Jackson, former attorney general. Former associate justice of the Supreme Court took time off from his responsibilities as a justice to be the chief prosecutor for the United States at the Nuremberg trials. But I reminded you in 1940 what he said. To a room full of federal prosecutors. He warned them, You’re the most powerful people in peacetime America, bar none. You have the power from soup to nuts to control the criminal legal fate of a citizen. The way in which you conduct yourself, the way in which you write your briefs and the charges, the way in which you release press releases it. Speak to the media. The way in which you threaten individuals and talk to their friends and family to get the information out and all through the process, helping to pick the jury, if convicted. Having enormous input in the sentencing and so forth and so on. There’s nobody more powerful, he said, than a federal prosecutor. So when we have lapdogs. Who should know better, especially after the experiences of the last several years. You just bark out the usual pablum. About how this is being politicized by dropping the case against Adams. They have it backwards, inside out, upside down. They are being politicized through their grotesque self-righteousness. And then Helen Keller tactics refusing to look into this. Ah, appalling. I’ll be right back.

Segment 2
No, I didn’t know we had a controversy over Iran. I’m not sure we still do, actually. Iran. Iran has killed American soldiers. It’s killed American citizens. It’s maimed American soldiers. It’s maimed American citizens. Iran has made it clear that it is to public enemies, Israel and the United States. Iran has attempted to murder Donald Trump. We actually have individuals who’ve been charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump from Iran. Ryan says it wants to build nuclear weapons. They’re talking about having weapons that can reach Europe and then the United States, you see that they have hypersonic missiles. That’s the point of hypersonic missiles. You put a warhead on it and then all thing all things go to hell. So is it okay if Iran has nuclear weapons? That’s something we can actually manage. Is that a big deal? I’ll be right back.

Segment 3
It is the official position repeatedly stated by our president himself. But Iran must never have nuclear weapons. Barack Obama didn’t think that way. That’s why we had the Obama nuclear deal. Barack Obama was effectively okay with Iran getting nukes, just not on his watch. He pushed it out a decade, but Iran was going to get nukes. Trump said, no, Iran is not going to get nukes. Why? Because he’s an American first. That means if a third world. Islamo Nazi regime. It keeps threatening the axe, the existence of the United States. And it’s threatening to murder. Ah, now, President. The idea that it’s okay for them to have nuclear weapons and that can be managed. Is not only insane, it’s suicide. I can’t think. I can’t think of a single reason. Not one. Why it’s okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons. Well, Israel has them. Well, this was a democracy. But what does that have to do with Iran? We have them, too. What does it have to do with Iran? Nothing. Why is it that communist China wants Iran to have nuclear weapons? Why is it that fascistic Russia wants out of Iran to have nuclear weapons? Why is it that the inbred in North Korea wants Iran to have nuclear weapons? Why is it that the terrorists around the world want Iran to have nuclear weapons? Is it really a neo con conspiracy? Is it really hawks who will never wars, who are behind the whole idea that Iran shouldn’t have nuclear weapons? What is this little cabal of morons think we the American people, are? You have parents and grandparents who fought in World War Two. And if you don’t, you know enough about it. We did everything we could to stop the Nazis from getting vetoes because it would have changed the outcome of the war. And just in time we defeated them. Ah, they would have had the upper hand big time. How many more American lives have to be lost and how many more world wars? To make it abundantly clear. That these weapons in the hands of evil people. I’m going to wind up with a debt of not just thousands, but hundreds of thousands. And the Islamo Nazi regime in Iran thinks God Almighty himself is directing them to conquer the world. To take out the Jews and the Christians and the Hindus and the Buddhists and the atheists and the gays and anybody else that they choose to. And they’ll get a reward in their next life. So when you have rational people. Who say people like that can’t get nuclear weapons. I don’t care if we have an ocean between us. I don’t care if we have 12,000 miles between us. Technology is now such that hypersonic missiles with nuclear warheads will hit the United States. One of them will get through and one of them will be enough. Is that okay with you? It’s not okay with me. And these Lilliputians, these mental midgets. These 80 lives for ideologue sake who basically take up the Obama position. Take up the most radical left wing Bernie Sanders position and frankly, take up the position of our enemies when they say it’s okay, we can manage Iran if they manage to get nuclear weapons. No, it’s not okay. Not if you have a child and a grandchild. Not if you care about your country. It’s not okay. I mean, what the hell? Why do we have a government to redistribute wealth? No to protect us from this very threat period. So I was relieved. Almost celebratory. Thankful. When a number of people from the administration reached out to me today. To reassure. And to make it clear. That the person who caused the shots in this administration. Is the president of the United States in his position is unequivocal. No news for Iran, period, under any circumstances. Period. Why? Because he’s a great leader. He’s iconic. He’s historic. He’s not part of a little cabal of morons. And I was greatly relieved. Greatly relieved. They hear that that position is also shared. But his subordinates who will work for this administration, including in the Defense Department. Greatly relieved to hear from Pete Hegseth. A man who I trust. Greatly relieved. Not the little Lilliputians on the sidelines throwing the little grenades. Not real grenades, of course, verbal grenades. That’s all they know. Got it. You know, it’s funny. Mr.. But people think they can intimidate me. I can’t be intimidated. There’s nothing to threaten me with. I’ve been doing this too long. I don’t care if 4 billion people line up. And I think my position is right. It doesn’t matter to me. When an article appears, it says all these senators take this position and there’s these two guys. Oh, my God, I’m so worried about it. I come here and speak to multi-millions of you. And tell you what I think. I am not influenced by Washington. I’m not influenced by some phony reporter. I’m not influenced by little pressure groups. I’m not influenced by all of us are getting together. I don’t care. The idea that it’s okay for Iran to get nukes is insane. And yet I am relieved. I’m relieved. Of course, that was never the position of Donald Trump because it’s insane. It was never the position of Pete Hegseth. Never in the position of Mike Waltz. And I’m pleased to report tonight, and I was assured by this that it is not the position of Elbridge Colby. Set his name. Elbridge. Elbridge Colby. That is not his position. Regardless of what he may have said in the past or if people are confused about it or people know about it, or that people are not confused about it. And this is important. Tulsi Gabbard had done certain things and said certain things in the past in which she had her hearing. She rejected them. She repudiated. She said, You know what? Okay. It’s not only misinterpreted, that’s not my view anymore. And I said, Voter, get her in. Trump should get who he wants. That’s a big job. That’s a senior position. And by the way, I was criticized for that. Like, I give a crap. I don’t. And she’s there. And you know what I couldn’t be more comfortable about? Elbridge Colby does not believe. That Iran should get nukes or that it’s manageable anymore. The manageable part. What’s the controversial part? But I am assured that’s not his view anymore. Okay, then I’m comfortable. It’s okay. Donald Trump should get who he wants. But this whole notion of Iran getting nukes, why is that even controversial? That is. Why is the position that they should not get nukes? Why is that even controversial? It’s not controversial. Period. Not if you want to survive. It’s not. So I hold no animus toward this gentleman. I don’t even know who he is. And I’ve been informed today. I was position. And so. I will not oppose his nomination. Besides, who am I? Donald Trump gets to decide. But I’m just making a point in terms of weighting my opinion. You know, those who attack Tom Cotton are loathsome. Our loathsome. Some people have served in the military. Tom Cotton has served in combat. He’s a great patriot. A great patriot. He’s doing more than anyone I can think of the trade take on the communist Chinese to try and help rebuild our military, to try and help protect we, the people in this country. It’s a great thing that he’s in the United States Senate. He went to war. He fought in wars. Others have, too. Don’t get me wrong. I got it. But you can’t call him a chickenhawk. Kenya. Maybe he’s worth listening to. I. Some of the quacks out there. Some of the people in this cabal, maybe they ought to put down their ideology. Put down their radicalism and listen. For once. I’m not a big fan of Qatar, which is a terrorist country. Which funded Hamas to the tune of 1.8 billion and protected their leaders. Some people are and never will be. Qatar is also spending billions in our own country to poison our children and our grandchildren. I supposed to close my eyes to that, ladies and gentlemen, I don’t think I will. No, I won’t. Then we have some people claim to be the real American. First is the real MAGA, Make America Great Again, which all started in the eighties. And Donald Trump, of course, has carried it to new heights. Make America Great Again. I can remember in 1984, that was our slogan with Reagan. As it is, our slogan would trump Why? These are two great men. But you don’t make America great again by. By allowing Iran to get nuclear weapons, you make America vulnerable again. Like under Obama. Like under the Democrats. There is no rational basis whatsoever. To accept such a position, and I am thrilled to learn. That Mr. Colby does not accept that position. And so he should be confirmed. Because remember, my position is anybody who Donald Trump nominates should be confirmed. They should be confirmed. But if there’s going to be a position that runs counter to the commander in chief, if you’re an obligation to voice it. But I’m glad to hear there’s not. I’ve been reassured by at least half a dozen people in the administration today. Including one who is a dear, dear friend of mine. And so we’ll leave it at that. Let’s get it done. Let’s move along. I’ll be right back.

Segment 4
Much and all this claptrap condemning J.D. Vance for speaking in Munich the way that he spoke. I’m proud of JD Vance for speaking in Munich. The way that he spoke. The morons in our media, the morons on the left, Maura won, and World War Two were started by Germany. Marxism was born in Europe. Fascism was born in Europe. Europe is regressing. Europe, the home of the Magna Carta. Really no more. They have speech codes that would make you shiver. Whether it’s on issues like abortion, what you think is a crime. What you think is a crime. He criticized people online. You can be prosecuted criminally. Meanwhile, they have. They have people marauding roaming in their streets, many out of the Middle East. We’re attacking Jews. Who brutalizing Jews. anti-Semitism apparently is an exception to most of their laws. J.D. Vance goes in there and he tells them to their face. About free speech. And our media reports the negative reaction. 60 Minutes. Does anyone know what to do at Schizophrenic? On the one hand, you have one of their hosts interviewing prosecutors in Germany saying, yeah, basically we’ll be prosecute anything that moves. Underscoring J.D. Vance’s entire point. And that’s not the only country, Germany, that does it. It’s not the only country. And that host didn’t seem all that upset about it. She seemed inquisitive, curious. And I remember her condemning them. The Democrat Party has much of the same leanings in this country. Charlie does. So there was no better place than in Munich, in Germany, in Europe to say what needed to be said, Mr. Producer. No better place. Cut one. Go. Well, he was standing in a country where free speech was weaponized to conduct a genocide, and he met with the head of a political party that has far right views and some historic ties to extreme groups. The context of that was changing the tone of it. And you know that that the censorship is Margaret Brennan. Rubio gives her a tremendous answer. But I just want to say this to Margaret Brennan. Why do you insist? Every Sunday I’m being an idiot. I’m being uninformed and uneducated. The idea that the Nazi regime rose because of free speech is so sickeningly stupid. So unbelievable that she should resign. She should resign. But of course, there’s no accountability in the American media, none whatsoever. And if she won’t resign, she should be fired. They didn’t weaponize free speech for genocide. What kind of a stupid ass comment is this? It’s frighteningly stupid. Why is it that Brennan is always anti-American and anti-Trump? Why is that? Is that media? Is that journalism? What is that? It’s crazy. I told you, the Sunday show suck. You know, George Orwell. Orwell was in many ways a leftist, which was kind of odd when you think about it. And yet he was he he read Von Mises, an Australian libertarian Austrian school, I should say, not Austria, an Austrian libertarian. He came to America, escaped escape during the war to the United States. All right, ladies and gentlemen, we have a hell of a lot more. I’ll be right back.