Fox News personality Mark Levin was widely mocked after he referred to former Republican President Donald Trump as "kinda stupid."
The insult was meant to be a defense of Trump's actions after federal agents combed through his Mar-a-Lago estate on a hunt for documents the former POTUS took from the White House in violation of federal laws and presidential protocol.
Levin said it would be "kinda stupid" of Trump if the allegations against him turned out to be true. Levin noted people about to commit crimes typically don't do things like leave video cameras in their homes on all the time or commit the crime in the presence of the Secret Service.
You can hear what Levin said in the video below.
\u201cLevin: If you\u2019re going to commit a crime, would you keep the video cameras in your home on? Seems kinda stupid. Would you do it in front of the secret service? That seems kinda stupid\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1661731478
Levin just weeks ago called the search warrant executed at Mar-a-Lago “the worst attack on this republic in modern history, period."
The duly executed search warrant was requested by the Department of Justice (DoJ) after the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) notified them of Trump removing documents from the White House and not returning them as requested by NARA.
Trump—like all President's since the establishment of the Presidential Records Act of 1978—was required to turn over all documents to NARA. Instead, NARA noted Trump took them with him to Mar-a-Lago.
Mar-a-Lago is accessible by any individual who can pay the membership fee and members of the public who book facilities or attend events at the resort such as weddings or birthday parties. Surveillance video from Mar-a-Lago seemed to indicate the documents Trump took were not guarded or always kept in a locked room—despite some being classified or top secret.
On Sunday, Levin said:
“Let me ask you a question: If you’re gonna commit a crime, do you keep the video cameras in your home on, 24/7?”
“I don’t know, would you? Seems kinda stupid, doesn’t it?”
“Or would you do it in front of the Secret Service? I don’t know, that seems kinda stupid, doesn’t it?"
“Well, that’s what you’re expected to believe.”
Trump continues to face heavy scrutiny in the days since he alerted the world the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant for his Mar-a-Lago estate.
In the days since the search, sources said Trump was in possession of classified material—including nuclear secrets—that prompted the intelligence community to voice concerns about national security.
Trump denied he broke federal government policy regarding classified documents.
He claimed he had the ability to declassify any and all documents and did so under a "standing order." But this defense was disputed by experts who noted a specific federal process must be adhered to before any information can be declassified.
But the classification of the documents is largely immaterial.
Trump was required to turn over all documents to the NARA when he vacated the White House.
As far as social media users were concerned, Levin's assessment of Trump was accurate.
\u201cThey are sooooooo close to getting it.\u201d— Chase 'n' Waterfalls (@Chase 'n' Waterfalls) 1661835421
\u201cHe does realize who he\u2019s referring to, right?\u201d— Melting Marty \ud83e\udd75\ud83e\udd75\ud83e\udd75 (@Melting Marty \ud83e\udd75\ud83e\udd75\ud83e\udd75) 1661739922
\u201cSo close to connecting those final two dots.\u201d— Alex Andreou (@Alex Andreou) 1661781051
\u201cYes, yes Mr. Levin...that is what we are saying...this was a really stupid crime. Very stupid. We agree.\u201d— Be Vanilla (@Be Vanilla) 1661783886
\u201cHe is soooooo close\u201d— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) 1661769640
\u201c\u201cSeems kinda stupid\u201d is what we all refer to of the MAGA era\u201d— Tomalan Cal (@Tomalan Cal) 1661773773
\u201cThat\u2019s what we have been trying to tell you. He\u2019s kinda stupid.\u201d— Hank Lewis (@Hank Lewis) 1661786129
\u201cTranslation: \u201cTrump is stupid\u201d\u201d— Gabe Sanchez \uea00 (@Gabe Sanchez \uea00) 1661739034
\u201cHe\u2019s soooo close to a breakthrough!\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\u201d— ghibby! is Vaxxed and Waxxed! (@ghibby! is Vaxxed and Waxxed!) 1661739471
Levin has long been one of Trump's more passionate supporters.
In 2019, he was criticized for declaring "there hasn't even been a hint of scandal" while Trump was in office.
Levin's claim prompted many to accuse him of spreading misinformation about an administration that from its earliest days was dogged by allegations it colluded with Russian operatives to help Trump win the 2016 presidential election and had also been accused of campaign finance violations, nepotism, overcharging the government to stay at the Trump properties the POTUS was constantly at as well as other misdeeds regarding the Trump family business and its associates.
