The Conservative Political Ally Donald Trump Chose to Pardon Has a Wickedly Racist History - And We Have the Receipts

Dinesh D’Souza is a controversial right-wing figure who is a darling of the darkest parts of conservative circles, beloved for his books and films, which he claims expose the “true history” of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party itself. Outside of conservative bubbles, his books and films are seen for what they are—cheap, dishonest propaganda.

In 2014, Dinesh D’Souza pled guilty to campaign finance fraud. He illegally created straw donors to contribute to Republican Senate candidate Wendy Long. D’Souza admitted in court that he knew it was illegal as he entered his guilty plea and asked the judge for a light sentence. From Politico:

“I knew that causing a campaign contribution to be made in the name of another was wrong and something the law forbids,” D’Souza said, according to Newsday. “I deeply regret my conduct.”

As former U.S. Attorney, Joyce Alene notes this is a blatant signal to Michael Cohen and other Trump allies to “stay strong.”

So, aside from knowingly committing campaign finance fraud and churning out right-wing propaganda, what else is D’Souza known for? For many of the same racist themes and conspiracies that just got Roseanne Barr canceled from television. He has routinely used Twitter to lob racist and homophobic insults at President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, among others. Here is a sampling of some of his lowest moments.

And he spread the racist birther business, while claiming not to be a birther.

After Florida teen Trayvon Martin was murdered, Dinesh D’Souza sent this message to the world on Twitter, comparing Trayvon Martin to Obama. 

And then there is this despicable tweet targeting Barack and Michelle Obama.

D’Souza spread the dumb conspiracy that the Charlottesville white supremacists rally was staged.

When the teenage survivors of the Stoneman-Douglas High School mass shooting visited the Florida capitol only days after seeing their peers murdered, D’Souza mocked them for crying and expressing disbelief as they watched their state representatives vote down a bill to ban assault weapons.

D’Souza mocked Beverly Johnson, one of the women who accused Alabama’s Roy Moore of sexually assaulting her as a teen. 

He called Rosa Parks “overrated.”

D’Souza has spread some of the most vulgar lies about George Soros, including the very same ones recently promoted by Roseanne Barr. From Media Matters:

Author Dinesh D’Souza, speaking with C-SPAN at a FreedomFest event in July, claimed that his new book The Big Lie shows that billionaire philanthropist George Soros “was a kind of collection boy for Hitler” and that Soros admitted as much during an old interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes. D’Souza also claimed there was an “eerie parallel” between Soros and Josef Mengele, a physician at Auschwitz who selected victims for the gas chambers and performed deadly experiments on prisoners, because, D’Souza said, both defended their crimes by saying that if they hadn’t done them, someone else would have. Since the C-SPAN interview (and besides in his book), D’Souza has pushed the claim on Twitter, in The Daily Caller, and in an interview with far-right troll Stefan Molyneux.