Mark Levin
Mark Reed Levin (/ləˈvɪn/; born September 21, 1957) is an American broadcast news analyst, columnist, lawyer, political commentator, radio personality, and writer. Nicknamed The Great One,[1][2] he is the host of syndicated radio show The Mark Levin Show, as well as Life, Liberty & Levin on Fox News. Levin worked in the administration of President Ronald Reagan and was a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese. He is the former president of the Landmark Legal Foundation, a New York Times best-selling author of seven books and contributes commentary to media outlets such as National Review Online. Since 2015, Levin has been editor-in-chief of the Conservative Review[3] and is known for his incendiary commentary.[4]
Not to be confused with Mike Levin.
Mark Levin
Broadcast news analyst, columnist, political commentator, radio personality, writer
He has been described as "right-wing" by The New York Times, CNN, NPR, and Politico.[5][6][7][8] He is known for his strident criticisms of Democrats and encouragement of primary challenges to congressional Republicans that he considers to be "Republican In Name Only" (RINO). He endorsed Ted Cruz in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries and declared himself "Never Trump", but reluctantly endorsed Donald Trump after he won the Republican nomination.[9] Since the start of the Trump presidency, Levin's commentary has become pro-Trump.[10]
Early life and education
Mark Reed Levin, one of three boys, was born in Philadelphia to a Jewish family,[11] and grew up in Erdenheim as well as Elkins Park. His father, Jack E. Levin (1925–2018), authored several books.[12] He graduated from Cheltenham High School after three years, in 1974.[13][14] Skipping his senior year of high school, Levin enrolled at Temple University Ambler and graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Political Science in 1977 at age 19.[14][15] Later in 1977, Levin won election to the Cheltenham school board on a platform of reducing property taxes.[14] In 1980, Levin earned a J.D. from Temple University School of Law.[16]
Legal and political career
Levin worked for Texas Instruments after law school.[14] Beginning in 1981, Levin worked in the administration of President Ronald Reagan. Levin began at ACTION, the federal agency that oversaw VISTA and other volunteer agencies, before serving as deputy assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education and deputy solicitor of the U.S. Department of the Interior. He ultimately became chief of staff to Attorney General Edwin Meese.[17]
After leaving the Reagan administration, Levin practiced law in the private sector. In 1991, Levin joined public interest law firm Landmark Legal Foundation.[18][19][20][21] At Landmark, Levin served as director of legal policy and the foundation's Washington-based Center for Civil Rights before becoming president in 1997.[22][23][24] Under Levin's presidency, Landmark Legal filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission in 2000 alleging that the National Education Association, the largest teachers' union in the U.S., did not disclose spending on political activity in Internal Revenue Service documentation.[25] Landmark Legal also filed similar complaints with the United States Department of Labor in 2002 regarding NEA and political activity; by 2006, the NEA and smaller American Federation of Teachers had filed new documents with the Labor Department revealing over $100 million combined in political action spending.[26]
Following Freedom of Information Act requests in August 2012 of documents that would show if Environmental Protection Agency officials sought to delay regulations until after the 2012 presidential election, federal judge Royce Lamberth ruled in 2015 that although Landmark Legal did not establish that the EPA acted in bad faith, the EPA either carelessly or intentionally neglected Landmark's FOIA request.[27] Lamberth previously ruled in 2013 that the EPA might have attempted to evade Landmark's FOIA request.[28]
In 2001, the American Conservative Union awarded Levin its Ronald Reagan Award for his work with Landmark Legal.[29][30]
Politico reported in 2014 that Levin received a salary of more than $300,000 per year as president of the non-profit Landmark Legal Foundation, whose donors include the Sarah Scaife Foundation, the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation and ExxonMobil.[31] In 2018, Levin stepped down as president of Landmark Legal but remained on its board of directors.[32]
Television shows
Since 2014, Levin has been the founding editor-in-chief of Conservative Review, a multi-platform online television network that later merged with Glenn Beck's terrestrial network TheBlaze in 2018 to form Blaze Media. Programs airing on the network include Levin, Roaming Millennial, Truth Be Told, Allie, In the Woods with Phil, Kibbe on Liberty, Louder with Crowder, America Bolling, and more.
In November 2017, Fox News announced that it had signed Levin for a weekend show titled Life, Liberty & Levin to air on Sunday nights beginning in February 2018.[40] According to a pre-debut network news release, the program's intention was to explore "the fundamental values and principles undergirding American society, culture, politics, and current events, and their relevance to the nation's future and everyday lives of citizens."[41] Episodes feature one or two guests for the hour-long program discussing political events, news, and history.