For years, conservative radio star Mark Levin was one of the most ferocious defenders of President Donald Trump and his Iran policy.
On Wednesday, the conservative radio giant turned on the White House unexpectedly.
In a series of controversial social media posts, Levin attacked the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding the United States formally signed with the Islamic Republic of Iran on Wednesday.
Levin went item by item, complaining and demanded Trump to either radically rewrite it or abandon it entirely before the 60-day negotiation period ends.
He started by giving Trump full credit for the successful military operation.
“The president deserves enormous credit for having the courage to do what no other president did before him,” Levin wrote. Then he drove the knife in.
“From day one, I have underscored that no deal will be honored by the Iranian regime. Its political-theocratic ideology fuels a revolution that compels the catastrophic destruction of the West,” Levin wrote. “Iran’s pattern of conduct over the last 47 years makes clear that it uses negotiations as a tactic to further its aims. Yet, we abandoned the military destruction of Iran and did not use all of our capabilities to destroy the regime.”
He then attacked the MOU line by line.
On the immediate end to all military operations including Lebanon, Levin said it made no sense for the United States to stop the conflict and protect Hezbollah.
“This doesn’t even make any sense. There are 60 days or more to negotiate a deal. Therefore, before a deal is finalized, we just declared a cessation of military action — permanently. Why would we agree to immediately drop the most important leverage we have over the regime in advance of it complying with MOU requirements?” he demanded of Trump.
“We do the unthinkable. We capitulate to Iran’s demand to protect Hezbollah… is essentially protected by our government in alliance with the Iranian regime, and free to continue to kill Americans, Israelis, and others… In and of itself, that is shameful.”
He also attacked the most controversial point of the MOU: The alleged $300 billion fund to rebuild Iranian infastructure.
“Who would have dreamt that after we went to war with this regime because it was within days of having a nuclear weapon, that we would have any role in helping coordinate or raise one dime for this regime?” Levin said.
The Trump administration had previously said that no U.S. taxpayer dollars would be used in the $300 billion fund.
On Iran’s oil exports and frozen assets resuming immediately, Levin again was on the offensive.
“The Iranian regime is back in business — immediately. Before any final deal. Billions and billions will now flow into the regime,” he claimed.
“Not a word about ballistic missiles, the single most destructive weapon Iran has and has used,” he continued. “Not a word about promoting and funding terrorism and terror groups. Not a word about the Iranian people, who we promised to help at the outset. Apparently, they’ve been abandoned. Not a word about reparations.”
“AGAIN, DURING THE NEXT 60 DAYS THIS MOU REQUIRES SERIOUS CHANGES IF NOT OUTRIGHT ABANDONMENT,” Levin said in capital letters.
The reaction from establishment conservatives Wednesday was one of the most significant breaks with Trump since he returned to the White House. While Trump allies celebrated the deal as a meaningful beginning towards peace, former Vice President Mike Pence called it Obama-era appeasement.
“The reported MOU with Iran smacks of the kind of appeasement that we saw during the Obama years, the kind of appeasement that Joe Biden tried to accomplish and was ignored by the Iranians, and the kind of appeasement we categorically rejected during the first Trump administration,” Pence said.
He demanded Trump continue the blockade and demand that Iran begin “dismantling their nuclear program, dismantling this missile program, ends support for terrorist proxies and opens the Strait. Failing that, we should let our Armed Forces finish the job on our terms.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who spent the war as its most hawkish public defender, has gone completely silent for two days after the deal was announced.
Trump has defended the deal from Republican criticism –