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In a statement on Thursday, Common Cause president Karen Hobert Flynn argued that Trump's decision to pardon D'Souza demonstrates once again the president's "contempt for the rule of law." (Photos: Getty Images)
President Donald Trump announced in a tweet on Thursday that he will fully pardon the "openly racist" right-wing propagandist Dinesh D'Souza, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations in 2014 and has--in just the past year--mocked school shooting survivors, circulated anti-semitic lies, and suggested that the white supremacist Charlottesville rally was "staged."
Preet Bharara, who prosecuted D'Souza as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was quick to respond to Trump's tweet on Thursday, noting that D'Souza "intentionally broke the law, voluntarily pled guilty, apologized for his conduct, and the judge found no unfairness. Period."
"Dinesh D'Souza is a racist piece of shit, and it's worth keeping in mind that he was pardoned because of that, not in spite of it."
--Tim Murphy, Mother Jones
As Simon Malloy of Media Matters pointed out, D'Souza himself admitted that was not "treated unfairly" by the court after he copped to knowingly violating campaign finance law by using his assistant and mistress as "straw donors."
In a statement on Thursday, Common Cause president Karen Hobert Flynn argued that Trump's decision to pardon D'Souza demonstrates once again the president's "contempt for the rule of law."
"Trump's action sends yet another dangerous signal that he will abuse his power to protect those who would subvert the rule of law, including the laws that protect the integrity of our democracy from corruption," Flynn said.
Echoing Flynn in a series of tweets, Public Citizen argued that "Trump is sending a blazing signal to his associates that they will be rewarded if they stay loyal."
Other commentators weighed in on Trump's most recent pardon amid reports that he's also gearing up to pardon Martha Stewart and commute the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich:
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
President Donald Trump announced in a tweet on Thursday that he will fully pardon the "openly racist" right-wing propagandist Dinesh D'Souza, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations in 2014 and has--in just the past year--mocked school shooting survivors, circulated anti-semitic lies, and suggested that the white supremacist Charlottesville rally was "staged."
Preet Bharara, who prosecuted D'Souza as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was quick to respond to Trump's tweet on Thursday, noting that D'Souza "intentionally broke the law, voluntarily pled guilty, apologized for his conduct, and the judge found no unfairness. Period."
"Dinesh D'Souza is a racist piece of shit, and it's worth keeping in mind that he was pardoned because of that, not in spite of it."
--Tim Murphy, Mother Jones
As Simon Malloy of Media Matters pointed out, D'Souza himself admitted that was not "treated unfairly" by the court after he copped to knowingly violating campaign finance law by using his assistant and mistress as "straw donors."
In a statement on Thursday, Common Cause president Karen Hobert Flynn argued that Trump's decision to pardon D'Souza demonstrates once again the president's "contempt for the rule of law."
"Trump's action sends yet another dangerous signal that he will abuse his power to protect those who would subvert the rule of law, including the laws that protect the integrity of our democracy from corruption," Flynn said.
Echoing Flynn in a series of tweets, Public Citizen argued that "Trump is sending a blazing signal to his associates that they will be rewarded if they stay loyal."
Other commentators weighed in on Trump's most recent pardon amid reports that he's also gearing up to pardon Martha Stewart and commute the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich:
President Donald Trump announced in a tweet on Thursday that he will fully pardon the "openly racist" right-wing propagandist Dinesh D'Souza, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations in 2014 and has--in just the past year--mocked school shooting survivors, circulated anti-semitic lies, and suggested that the white supremacist Charlottesville rally was "staged."
Preet Bharara, who prosecuted D'Souza as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was quick to respond to Trump's tweet on Thursday, noting that D'Souza "intentionally broke the law, voluntarily pled guilty, apologized for his conduct, and the judge found no unfairness. Period."
"Dinesh D'Souza is a racist piece of shit, and it's worth keeping in mind that he was pardoned because of that, not in spite of it."
--Tim Murphy, Mother Jones
As Simon Malloy of Media Matters pointed out, D'Souza himself admitted that was not "treated unfairly" by the court after he copped to knowingly violating campaign finance law by using his assistant and mistress as "straw donors."
In a statement on Thursday, Common Cause president Karen Hobert Flynn argued that Trump's decision to pardon D'Souza demonstrates once again the president's "contempt for the rule of law."
"Trump's action sends yet another dangerous signal that he will abuse his power to protect those who would subvert the rule of law, including the laws that protect the integrity of our democracy from corruption," Flynn said.
Echoing Flynn in a series of tweets, Public Citizen argued that "Trump is sending a blazing signal to his associates that they will be rewarded if they stay loyal."
Other commentators weighed in on Trump's most recent pardon amid reports that he's also gearing up to pardon Martha Stewart and commute the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich: