Trumpland

Trump Says He Will Pardon Dinesh D’Souza

IT’S HAPPENING

Convicted of making an illegal campaign contribution in 2012 Senate race.

REUTERSLucas_Jackson_augm0b
REUTERS/Lucas Jackson / Reuters

President Trump announced Thursday that he will be giving a full pardon to right-wing political commentator and author Dinesh D’Souza. The president told reporters in Air Force One that he “never met [D'Souza], I called him last night, first time I’ve ever spoken to him. I said, I’m pardoning you. Nobody asked me to do it.” Despite not speaking to him in any prior instance, Trump said he “always felt [D'Souza] was very unfairly treated... What should have been a quick minor fine, like everybody else with the election stuff… What they did to him was horrible.” D’Souza took to Twitter to celebrate and gloat to former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, whose office prosecuted his case. “KARMA IS A BITCH DEPT,” the tweet read. “[Bharara] wanted to destroy a fellow Indian American to advance his career. Then he got fired & I got pardoned.” D’Souza pleaded guilty in federal court in May 2014 to making an illegal campaign contribution to the 2012 U.S. Senate campaign of Wendy Long.