Ep. 585 - Trump vs. The Intelligence Community

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode centers on a defense of conservative judicial nominee Ryan Bounds, criticism of Republicans who withdrew support over decades-old college writings, and a broader attack on the right’s tendency to cave to progressive pressure. Shapiro then shifts to concerns about Robert Mueller’s tactics, the intelligence community’s relationship with Trump, and media praise for the “deep state,” arguing both sides are undermining institutional trust.

Main Topics: Ryan Bounds nomination and GOP caution (Priority: 5/5): Shapiro argues that withdrawing support for Ninth Circuit nominee Ryan Bounds over 25-year-old Stanford writings shows Republicans are overly fearful of left-wing backlash, even when the writings were mild or substantively defensible. Intelligence community, Mueller, and the Trump investigation (Priority: 5/5): He questions reports that Mueller granted Tony Podesta immunity while pursuing Trump allies, suggesting the probe may look politically skewed and that DOJ/FBI leaks are damaging institutional legitimacy. Praise for the ‘deep state’ and democratic accountability (Priority: 5/5): Shapiro criticizes left-leaning columnists for openly celebrating intelligence and law-enforcement bureaucracies as a check on Trump, warning that unelected agencies should not become political actors. Trump and intelligence-community coordination (Priority: 3/5): He notes that Trump blindsided intelligence officials by announcing a second Putin meeting, using it as evidence that the White House often fails to coordinate with the agencies it publicly distrusts. Mailbag: family, marriage, grief, politics, and culture (Priority: 3/5): The Q&A covers how to handle political differences in families, why cohabitation before marriage is risky, Jewish mourning practices, conservative-liberal lifestyle contradictions, privacy, addiction, and tax policy. Gender norms and child-rearing (Priority: 4/5): Shapiro argues against raising children without gender designations, claiming parents should affirm biological sex and traditional distinctions rather than encourage confusion.

Key Arguments: Bounds’ Stanford writings were not racist or disqualifying; they reflected critiques of campus multiculturalism and campus rape policies that Shapiro says remain substantively valid. Republicans, especially senators who caved on Bounds, are too afraid of being labeled racist/sexist/bigoted and will not be rewarded by the left for their caution. Mueller’s reported offer of immunity to Tony Podesta looks like selective prosecution unless there is a strong legal distinction from Paul Manafort’s conduct. Open celebration of the ‘deep state’ is dangerous because unelected agencies should not be treated as a political branch or a substitute for democratic accountability. Even when intelligence agencies are doing legitimate work, their power must be checked because bureaucracies have their own incentives to expand power and surveillance authority. Trump’s chaotic handling of intelligence and foreign-policy communication, including the Putin meeting, reinforces public distrust of the administration’s coordination. Parents should not raise children in gender ambiguity; Shapiro argues that biological sex and sex-role distinctions are healthy and socially grounded. Cohabitation before marriage is portrayed as a way to keep an exit door open, weakening commitment and contributing to later relationship failure.

Data Points: Age of Ryan Bounds at time of writings: 18-19 years old - Stanford writings cited as the reason for objections to his Ninth Circuit nomination Time between writings and nomination controversy: about 25 years - Shapiro repeatedly emphasizes the age of Bounds’ college writings Ninth Circuit description: most liberal circuit in the country - Used to frame the stakes of the judicial nomination Senate vote margin mentioned by Merkley: about 70 votes - Merkley claimed Bounds would be defeated by roughly this many votes if brought to the floor Democratic senators: 49 - Included in the estimated 70 votes against Bounds Federalist Society influence: extraordinarily huge leverage - Shapiro says the nomination came from the Federalist Society pipeline Tony Podesta immunity claim: reported exclusively by Tucker Carlson based on 2 sources - Used to suggest Mueller may be flipping Democrats against Trump allies Trump-Putin meeting: second meeting planned in the fall - Mentioned as blindsiding DNI Dan Coats at an event Facebook community size for gender-nonconforming parenting: about 220 members - Referenced in the “babies” segment about raising children without gender labels Shiva mourning period: 7 days - Described in the mailbag explanation of Jewish grieving practice Shloshim mourning period: 30 days - Secondary mourning period after shiva Subscription price: $99 a year - Daily Wire membership plug during the show Skillshare promo: 2 months for 99 cents - Sponsor offer for listeners Black Rifle Coffee discount: 15% off - Promo code linked to the host’s sponsor read Filterbuy ship time: within 24 hours - Promoted as part of the HVAC filter sponsor read

Pivotal Quotes: "The only way to stand up to the social justice mob is to simply stand up to them and say, I'm not those things, and you're full of crap." — Ben Shapiro: Framing his critique of Republican timidity and political labeling "God bless them. With a supine Congress unwilling to play the role it is assigned by the Constitution, the deep state stands between us and the abyss." — Eugene Robinson (quoted by Shapiro): Shapiro’s target example of left-wing praise for the intelligence bureaucracy "It is only the right that is so shy about its own viewpoint with regard to multiculturalism that they run away when something as mild as these writings from a prospective judge come up." — Ben Shapiro: Defense of Ryan Bounds and criticism of Republican withdrawal

Implications: The show warns that fear of progressive backlash can distort GOP behavior, while deep-state cheerleading and DOJ/FBI leaks risk normalizing anti-democratic power. For listeners, the takeaway is that institutional trust depends on accountability, not partisan enthusiasm for bureaucratic power.