Dinesh D'Souza on Pardon by Pres. Trump: He Told M
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[url=Conservative filmmaker and author Dinesh D'Souza expressed gratitude to President Trump for announcing a full pardon over his 2014 conviction on a campaign finance violation.
Trump announced the move Thursday morning, agreeing with D'Souza's long-held belief that he was singled out by the Obama administration in retaliation for his movie "2016: Obama's America."
D'Souza said Friday on "Fox & Friends" that Trump called him on the phone and told him, "I gotta tell you man to man: you got screwed" and that a "great injustice had been done."
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D'Souza pleaded guilty in 2014 to making an illegal campaign contribution to New York politician Wendy Long's 2012 Senate campaign, allegedly going over the contribution limit by directing other donors to give to her and repaying them. He was sentenced to five years of probation and eight months in a halfway house, and paid a $30,000 fine.
D'Souza called it a "vindictive political hit" by then-President Barack Obama, former Attorney General Eric Holder and former New York federal prosecutor Preet Bharara, which was intended to destroy his career. D'Souza recalled that Obama was "raging" about the movie.
"These guys decided to make an example of me," he argued, disputing Bharara's contention Thursday that the prosecution was justified.
D'Souza said there isn't a single case of someone being indicted or being incarcerated for the violations he committed. He said he was forced to plead guilty to avoid a second charge and a potential lengthy prison sentence if he went to trial and was found guilty on both counts.
"This kind of legal bludgeoning tactic is used not only against the guilty, but against the innocent," he said, explaining that the pardon will give him back his right to vote.
"I'm very grateful to President Trump for giving me my [full] rights back."]< >[/url]