NEW YORK (TheBlaze/AP) — A conservative
scholar and author known recently for his critical works on President
Barack Obama has been indicted in New York on charges he violated
campaign finance laws.
Federal prosecutors announced the
charges Thursday against Dinesh D’Souza, who made the anti-Obama
documentary “2016: Obama’s America.” They say he’ll be arraigned Friday
on charges he directed $20,000 in illegal contributions to be made in
the New York Senate race in 2012. The funds allegedly headed to the
Wendy Long campaign, who unsuccessfully ran for Hillary Clinton’s U.S.
Senate seat.
D’Souza found out he was being
investigated by the feds in the mid-2013, months after his anti-Obama
documentary earned roughly $33 million at the box office,
according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film went on to become the second most popular political documentary in U.S. history.
Prosecutors say the San Diego resident
was charged with causing the illegal campaign contributions to be made
and causing false statements to be made in connection with them. They
say the criminal case resulted from a routine review by the FBI of
campaign filings by various candidates after the Senate race.
A defense attorney says D’Souza didn’t act with any corrupt or criminal intent.
But Gerald Molen, a co-producer of “2016,”
told THR that the charges are politically motivated.
Just days before the indictment, Molen
penned an op-ed on TheBlaze titled, “In Michael Moore’s America, Speaking Out Against the President Gets You a Visit From the Secret Service.”
In it, he argued that in the world of
people like Michael Moore, “dissent is only allowed for those who share
his ideology.” He bashed Moore for calling on the Secret Service to
visit D’Souza for calling President Barack Obama as the “Trayvon Martin
in the White House.”
The producer is now arguing that it’s
obvious that D’Souza is being singled-out over an “an alleged minor
violation.” He also connected what he believes to be political targeting
in this case to the targeting done by the IRS.
“In America, we have a long tradition
of not doing what is commonly done in too many other countries —
criminalizing dissent through the selective enforcement of the law,”
Molen told the Hollywood Reporter.
“In light of the recent events and the
way the IRS has been used to stifle dissent, this arrest should send
shivers down the spines of all freedom-loving Americans,” he later
added.
