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Amid fallout from supporterRoseanne Barr’s bigoted tweets, PresidentDonald Trumpannounced on Thursday that he pardoned Dinesh D’Souza, a conservative commentator, author and filmmaker known for spreading false conspiracy theories about everyone from the Obamas to Adolph Hitler.
And in what some see as a signal to his pals under indictment or investigation in the Russia investigation and other criminal probes, Trump told reporters he is also considering pardoning former fellowApprenticehostMartha Stewart, who served time for insider trading, and commuting the prison sentence of former Illinois Gov.Rod Blagojevich, whom Trump once fired onTheCelebrity Apprentice.
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But D’Souza has a history of making wild and inaccurate claims.
He alsostarted a conspiracy theorythat the media was covering up Las Vegas mass murderer Stephen Paddock’s background as an anti-Trump activist,which he wasn’t. And in February, hemocked the survivors of the mass shootingat a Parkland, Florida high school.
Aboard Air Force One on Thursday, Trump told reporters that he’s considering pardoning Stewart, who served time in federal prison following her conviction in 2004 of obstructing justice and lying to investigators about a conspicuously-timed stock sale.
“I think to a certain extent Martha Stewart was harshly and unfairly treated,” Trump said. “And she used to be my biggest fan in the world … before I became a politician. But that’s okay, I don’t view it that way.”
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Trump also told reporters that he believes Blagojevich — who was removed from office and convicted of numerous corruption charges — was just “being stupid.”
“What he did does not justify 18 years in a jail,” Trump said of the 14-year sentence. “If you read his statement, it was a foolish statement, there was a lot of bravado. But … plenty of other politicians have said a lot worse. And … he shouldn’t have been put in jail.”
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Trump had Blagojevich on as aCelebrity Apprenticecontestant before the former governor’s conviction in 2010 on corruption charges related to the selling of PresidentBarack Obama’s former Senate seat. Stewart hosted a spinoff ofThe Apprenticein 2005.
Critics have taken Twitter to say Trump’s pardon process, which has taken place outside traditional Justice Department channels, is a means to undermine the Russia investigation. Some claim he’s sending a message to former associates who may feel pressure to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller that he will protect them.
California Congressman Adam Schiff, a Democrat and former prosecutor, tweeted that Trump’s pardon of D’Souza was a continuing “abuse of power” and that the campaign finance laws D’Souza pleaded guilty to breaking were “not unlike concealment of Stormy Daniels payment. @POTUS says unfair. Why, because he was caught? Trying to send a message to Michael Cohen?”
Critics also say the pardons are slap in the face to the men who prosecuted the cases.
Special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into Comey’s firing as part of his probe into whether Trump attempted to obstruct the FBI’s investigation into possible links between his campaign and Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.
Trump’s first pardon, in August, was for Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, an immigration hardliner known for promoting the lie that Trump began thatBarack Obamawas not born in the United States. Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt for violating a judge’s order that he could not detain immigrants simply because they lacked legal status.
source: people.com
