Donald Trump Pledges to Pardon Dinesh D’Souza

15 thoughts on “Donald Trump Pledges to Pardon Dinesh D’Souza”

1. This seems like a good occasion to tell the story of when I first came to doubt Dinesh D’Souza’s integrity.

   It must have been early 1996, and I was reading his book Illiberal Education, about the undue influence of leftist nonsense on college campuses (a legitimate concern). Partway through the book, I was surprised to see a familiar name — it was the woman I was dating at the time! D’Souza quoted her in a campus paper as having made a radical man-hating statement. So I asked my then-girlfriend about it, and she showed me the full Letter to the Editor she had written maybe 8 years prior about women being threatened by sexual violence. The sentence quoted was indeed in the letter, but in context it was clearly satirical and not the sort of “we should start killing men” advocacy that D’Souza made it out to be.

   I remember thinking at the time: If D’Souza was dishonest about the one item in the book I was able to check on personally, what else might he be dishonest about? His subsequent career of producing deceitful propaganda has borne out my worries about his integrity from 20 years ago.

   I suppose the next step will be for D’Souza to get a blog on Patheos …

2. It’s more egregious because we got a transcript of Trump’s ‘thinking’ along with the pardon itself. Nobody should have to read and try to make sense of his word salad on full display. The point of this pardon was many things, but pardoning someone convicted of a crime (fairly or unfairly) was not one of them.

   1. Adding to Dr. T’s reply, Trump has discovered that the pardon power is the only presidential power he can wield absolutely, something he wrongly thought about all other presidential powers.

      In April, on behalf of ordinary Americans going through the ordinary procedures, there were 98 commutations denied & 82 pardons denied. None were approved. Yet in the 5 pardons he has issued, one is dead and the other 4 are all connected to elections or obstructions of justice – issues that he and his associates are under investigation for. And none of them went through the process others have to go through.

      Trump is doing something new.

   2. What is different is that Trump is most likely under investigation himself and is throwing a message to those who know things about him. In the instances you mentioned that factor isn’t in play.

   3. I didn’t know Carter had dealings with Trump and Ted Nugent. They were draft-dodgers.
      You’re right about the pardons of rich connected people. All the Presidents do it.
      Since you are willfully blind to all people that are corrupt on the conservative side, let me say that your downplaying of this phony, Dinesh, is typical for you. Trump is signaling with this clown.

3. Presidential pardons do not prevent state charges. States need to step up now with prosecuting these criminals…

   1. Yup: and, thanks to duel sovereignty, there’s no double jeopardy bar to states retrying, on the same charges, people convicted by the feds. Sure, it’s usually avoided outside exceptional circumstances; but if these don’t qualify, nothing does.

4. This comment by GWInsida got lost in the WordPress/Disqus shuffle:

   Let’s look at the substance behind this sentence/pardon. Back on Sept 3, 2014, Dinesh was sentenced to 5 years probation – for the first 8 months he was allowed to hang out at his posh La Jolla Beach home each day, then check into a half-way house 20 miles away, at 8pm, to sleep, then wake-up and go back to beachy poshland again. That was his “incarceration”. Dinesh was also sentenced to spend one day a week, during those 5 years of probation, doing community service, plus he had to attend some therapeutic counseling. Terms of probation, after a period of regular compliance, can be appealed and reduced, and typically are, so the five years of 1 day a week service was likely going to be cut anyway.

   Judge Berman specifically opted to not suspend Dinesh’s sentence, based on Dinesh’s behavior just prior to the sentencing. Judge Berman said ” I’m not sure, Mr D’Souza that you get it…the defense says it has accepted the court’s ruling in this case, yet Mr. D’Souza…continues to deflect and minimize the significance of the crime and of his behavior…(D’souza’s public pronouncements right before the sentencing were) totally thoughtless and not self-reflective and not self aware…I’m totally confident that Lady Justice is doing her job and that she’s not taking off her blindfold to target Dinesh D’Souza”.

   Dinesh’s own lawyer said “Dinesh was trying to do everything possible to alienate the government and the court while I was working my a** off trying to develop arguments to support a very lenient sentence.” On the day of sentencing, Dinesh claimed to be contrite and accept responsibility, but in the days leading up to the hearing he was on Fox News decrying the injustice, making videos of himself being unjustly persecuted and posting wildly about how this was all part of a government conspiracy to shut him up. The judge did the right thing. Had Dinesh feigned repentance, he would have very likely had his sentence suspended. Instead, he brashly accused the court of persecuting him and engaging in prosecutorial misconduct – not a light charge. Judge Berman sentenced D’Souza responsibly, in a way that might bring about actual contrition and life change – the best result of all criminal sentencing.

   Seemingly, it may have somewhat worked. In the past, Dinesh has made very racist comments about immigrants crossing over our Southern borders. His community service was to teach English to Mexican immigrants, including undocumented ones. He said that doing so gave him more respect for them, and that “I now see that adults in my class are incredibly industrious, determined, and hardworking, and no less strenuous in their pursuit of the American Dream than any other immigrant group.”

   Dinesh further credited Judge Berman’s sentence with turbo-charging his new found “Big Eva” career. He was now a persecuted Christian – aka a martyr. During his 8 months of nights in the halfway house he claims he used that time to start a new PAC to pay to get his “America: Imagine the World Without Her” documentary shown at “hundreds of (college) campuses” (very 7MD) and write his new book and plan a companion film about the “secret history” of the Left later titled “Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party”. He also began writing screenplays for some upcoming Christian-themed feature films – both a thriller and a family film. Kind of like Sean Hannity (the other “born again Catholic”) entering the highly lucrative cheesy Christian film industry, anxious to line their pockets with that non-discerning Christian gold. Dinesh declared, “This whole episode, far from denting my career, has actually brought me to the attention of a wider audience”. Spoken like a true Trump supporting, money grubbing televangelist.

   What Judge Berman did for Dinesh, was actually an act of mercy. His life was in shambles. He pretended to be an Evangelical to get a 7 figure job at the Cru (Campus Crusade – one of the original 7 Mtn Dominionist orgs) owned school, King’s College in Manhattan. He moved away from his family in California then ended up entirely leaving his wife of over 20 years for one of his very hot, recently wed groupies, 22 years his junior, named Denise Odie Joseph II, the creator of a blog called “I, Denise Lust After…”. Dinesh, during this same time frame, also allegedly used his “purple belt karate skills” to kick his petite wife Dixie in the head and shoulders back in 2012 causing permanent damage to her. What a fabulous, iconic Christian Nationalist Trump courtier.

   Judge Berman gave Dinesh a much needed “time out” to get his hubris and his life under control. Trump just undid all of that with a single Tweet. And to what benefit? The sentence clearly was not punishing Dinesh – it was profiting him and possibly making him a slightly less racist man in the process. Frankly, Trump did this so that ALL sleazy fundraisers will have far less fear of skirting political campaign laws in the future. Christian Nationalist candidates need to be able to transition funds from wealthy donors with an agenda, into candidates’ campaigns without too much scrutiny or risk of prosecution.

   People need to keep their eyes on Texas. This critical election year is seeing major funding by Christian Nationalist billionaires for Christian Nationalist candidates who are claiming to be “grass root” candidates. If they are successful, this model will likely be attempted to be rolled out across America. As Dinesh screens his Right Wing propaganda films across these “hundreds of campuses”, he and his dominionist ilk are raising up an entire new generation of confrontational Christian dominionists. Dinesh was bad enough as a convicted felon. As another Trump untouchable – much like the extremely racist Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio – this will invigorate some of the more despicable and intolerant elements among conservatives. We are losing our morality and our decency and the GOP leader of the free world is paving the way for all of this. This is not a good day for America.

5. Probably is an overt signal to the Trump crowd- but is it true that if one is pardoned for an offense- then one cannot any longer take the protection of the Fifth Amendment during testimony? Then would it follow that if the already pardoned “witness” was shown to be lying under oath- a whole new set of charges related to the lying could be brought?

   1. As he’d still be in jeopardy for state charges (or unindicted federal charges), he’d have to be offered immunity to compel testimony. That’d allow prosecution for any perjury committed after immunity’s granted.

6. Let’s look at the substance behind this sentence/pardon. Back on Sept 3, 2014, Dinesh was sentenced to 5 years probation – for the first 8 months he was allowed to hang out at his posh La Jolla Beach home each day, then check into a half-way house 20 miles away, at 8pm, to sleep, then wake-up and go back to beachy poshland again. That was his “incarceration”. Dinesh was also sentenced to spend one day a week, during those 5 years of probation, doing community service, plus he had to attend some therapeutic counseling. Terms of probation, after a period of regular compliance, can be appealed and reduced, and typically are, so the five years of 1 day a week service was likely going to be cut anyway.

   Judge Berman specifically opted to not suspend Dinesh’s sentence, based on Dinesh’s behavior just prior to the sentencing. Judge Berman said ” I’m not sure, Mr D’Souza that you get it…the defense says it has accepted the court’s ruling in this case, yet Mr. D’Souza…continues to deflect and minimize the significance of the crime and of his behavior…(D’souza’s public pronouncements right before the sentencing were) totally thoughtless and not self-reflective and not self aware…I’m totally confident that Lady Justice is doing her job and that she’s not taking off her blindfold to target Dinesh D’Souza”.

   Dinesh’s own lawyer said “Dinesh was trying to do everything possible to alienate the government and the court while I was working my a** off trying to develop arguments to support a very lenient sentence.” On the day of sentencing, Dinesh claimed to be contrite and accept responsibility, but in the days leading up to the hearing he was on Fox News decrying the injustice, making videos of himself being unjustly persecuted and posting wildly about how this was all part of a government conspiracy to shut him up. The judge did the right thing. Had Dinesh feigned repentance, he would have very likely had his sentence suspended. Instead, he brashly accused the court of persecuting him and engaging in prosecutorial misconduct – not a light charge. Judge Berman sentenced D’Souza responsibly, in a way that might bring about actual contrition and life change – the best result of all criminal sentencing.

   Seemingly, it may have somewhat worked. In the past, Dinesh has made very racist comments about immigrants crossing over our Southern borders. His community service was to teach English to Mexican immigrants, including undocumented ones. He said that doing so gave him more respect for them, and that “I now see that adults in my class are incredibly industrious, determined, and hardworking, and no less strenuous in their pursuit of the American Dream than any other immigrant group.”

   Dinesh further credited Judge Berman’s sentence with turbo-charging his new found “Big Eva” career. He was now a persecuted Christian – aka a martyr. During his 8 months of nights in the halfway house he claims he used that time to start a new PAC to pay to get his “America: Imagine the World Without Her” documentary shown at “hundreds of (college) campuses” (very 7MD) and write his new book and plan a companion film about the “secret history” of the Left later titled “Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party”. He also began writing screenplays for some upcoming Christian-themed feature films – both a thriller and a family film. Kind of like Sean Hannity (the other “born again Catholic”) entering the highly lucrative cheesy Christian film industry, anxious to line their pockets with that non-discerning Christian gold. Dinesh declared, “This whole episode, far from denting my career, has actually brought me to the attention of a wider audience”. Spoken like a true Trump supporting, money grubbing televangelist.

   What Judge Berman did for Dinesh, was actually an act of mercy. His life was in shambles. He pretended to be an Evangelical to get a 7 figure job at the Cru (Campus Crusade – one of the original 7 Mtn Dominionist orgs) owned school, King’s College in Manhattan. He moved away from his family in California then ended up entirely leaving his wife of over 20 years for one of his very hot, recently wed groupies, 22 years his junior, named Denise Odie Joseph II, the creator of a blog called “I, Denise Lust After…”. Dinesh, during this same time frame, also allegedly used his “purple belt karate skills” to kick his petite wife Dixie in the head and shoulders back in 2012 causing permanent damage to her. What a fabulous, iconic Christian Nationalist Trump courtier.

   Judge Berman gave Dinesh a much needed “time out” to get his hubris and his life under control. Trump just undid all of that with a single Tweet. And to what benefit? The sentence clearly was not punishing Dinesh – it was profiting him and possibly making him a slightly less racist man in the process. Frankly, Trump did this so that ALL sleazy fundraisers will have far less fear of skirting political campaign laws in the future. Christian Nationalist candidates need to be able to transition funds from wealthy donors with an agenda, into candidates’ campaigns without too much scrutiny or risk of prosecution.

   People need to keep their eyes on Texas. This critical election year is seeing major funding by Christian Nationalist billionaires for Christian Nationalist candidates who are claiming to be “grass root” candidates. If they are successful, this model will likely be attempted to be rolled out across America. As Dinesh screens his Right Wing propaganda films across these “hundreds of campuses”, he and his dominionist ilk are raising up an entire new generation of confrontational Christian dominionists. Dinesh was bad enough as a convicted felon. As another Trump untouchable – much like the extremely racist Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio – this will invigorate some of the more despicable and intolerant elements among conservatives. We are losing our morality and our decency and the GOP leader of the free world is paving the way for all of this. This is not a good day for America.

7. It completely baffles me that people who think of themselves as God-fearing, good Christians can applaud the pardon of Dinesh D’Souza, who admitted that he knowingly broke campaign laws, pled guilty, and was properly punished for it. Trump seems to be using this pardon–as he has used others–to remind people who worked for him and are now under indictment that he has the power to pardon them, if they refuse to implicate him, however guilty he might be. Have they never read what the Bible has to say about lying, cheating, and the abuse of power, or do they simply refuse to apply those condemnations to the politicians they vote for?

   1. It’s not baffling at all once you accept that politics trumps religion, and has done for some time.

      1. What was that we used to say? “The Moral Majority is neither.” It still seems to be true, although the organization itself has faded into the obscurity in which it belongs.

8. Let’s look at the substance behind this sentence/pardon. Back on Sept 3, 2014, Dinesh was sentenced to 5 years probation – for the first 8 months he was allowed to hang out at his posh La Jolla Beach home each day, then check into a half-way house 20 miles away, at 8pm, to sleep, then wake-up and go back to beachy poshland again. That was his “incarceration”. Dinesh was also sentenced to spend one day a week, during those 5 years of probation, doing community service, plus he had to attend some therapeutic counseling. Terms of probation, after a period of regular compliance, can be appealed and reduced, and typically are, so the five years of 1 day a week service was likely going to be cut anyway.

   Judge Berman specifically opted to not suspend Dinesh’s sentence, based on Dinesh’s behavior just prior to the sentencing. Judge Berman said ” I’m not sure, Mr D’Souza that you get it…the defense says it has accepted the court’s ruling in this case, yet Mr. D’Souza…continues to deflect and minimize the significance of the crime and of his behavior…(D’souza’s public pronouncements right before the sentencing were) totally thoughtless and not self-reflective and not self aware…I’m totally confident that Lady Justice is doing her job and that she’s not taking off her blindfold to target Dinesh D’Souza”.

   Dinesh’s own lawyer said “Dinesh was trying to do everything possible to alienate the government and the court while I was working my a** off trying to develop arguments to support a very lenient sentence.” On the day of sentencing, Dinesh claimed to be contrite and accept responsibility, but in the days leading up to the hearing he was on Fox News decrying the injustice, making videos of himself being unjustly persecuted and posting wildly about how this was all part of a government conspiracy to shut him up. The judge did the right thing. Had Dinesh feigned repentance, he would have very likely had his sentence suspended. Instead, he brashly accused the court of persecuting him and engaging in prosecutorial misconduct – not a light charge. Judge Berman sentenced D’Souza responsibly, in a way that might bring about actual contrition and life change – the best result of all criminal sentencing.

   Seemingly, it may have somewhat worked. In the past, Dinesh has made very racist comments about immigrants crossing over our Southern borders. His community service was to teach English to Mexican immigrants, including undocumented ones. He said that doing so gave him more respect for them, and that “I now see that adults in my class are incredibly industrious, determined, and hardworking, and no less strenuous in their pursuit of the American Dream than any other immigrant group.”

   Dinesh further credited Judge Berman’s sentence with turbo-charging his new found “Big Eva” career. He was now a persecuted Christian – aka a martyr. During his 8 months of nights in the halfway house he claims he used that time to start a new PAC to pay to get his “America: Imagine the World Without Her” documentary shown at “hundreds of (college) campuses” (very 7MD) and write his new book and plan a companion film about the “secret history” of the Left later titled “Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party”. He also began writing screenplays for some upcoming Christian-themed feature films – both a thriller and a family film. Kind of like Sean Hannity (the other “born again Catholic”) entering the highly lucrative cheesy Christian film industry, anxious to line their pockets with that non-discerning Christian gold. Dinesh declared, “This whole episode, far from denting my career, has actually brought me to the attention of a wider audience”. Spoken like a true Trump supporting, money grubbing televangelist.

   What Judge Berman did for Dinesh, was actually an act of mercy. His life was in shambles. He pretended to be an Evangelical to get a 7 figure job at the Cru (Campus Crusade – one of the original 7 Mtn Dominionist orgs) owned school, King’s College in Manhattan. He moved away from his family in California then ended up entirely leaving his wife of over 20 years for one of his very hot, recently wed groupies, 22 years his junior, named Denise Odie Joseph II, the creator of a blog called “I, Denise Lust After…”. Dinesh, during this same time frame, also allegedly used his “purple belt karate skills” to kick his petite wife Dixie in the head and shoulders back in 2012 causing permanent damage to her. What a fabulous, iconic Christian Nationalist Trump courtier.

   Judge Berman gave Dinesh a much needed “time out” to get his hubris and his life under control. Trump just undid all of that with a single Tweet. And to what benefit? The sentence clearly was not punishing Dinesh – it was profiting him and possibly making him a slightly less racist man in the process. Frankly, Trump did this so that ALL sleazy fundraisers will have far less fear of skirting political campaign laws in the future. Christian Nationalist candidates need to be able to transition funds from wealthy donors with an agenda, into candidates’ campaigns without too much scrutiny or risk of prosecution.

   People need to keep their eyes on Texas. This critical election year is seeing major funding by Christian Nationalist billionaires for Christian Nationalist candidates who are claiming to be “grass root” candidates. If they are successful, this model will likely be attempted to be rolled out across America. As Dinesh screens his Right Wing propaganda films across these “hundreds of campuses”, he and his dominionist ilk are raising up an entire new generation of confrontational Christian dominionists. Dinesh was bad enough as a convicted felon. As another Trump untouchable – much like the extremely racist Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio – this will invigorate some of the more despicable and intolerant elements among conservatives. We are losing our morality and our decency and the GOP leader of the free world is paving the way for all of this. This is not a good day for America.

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