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Trump to pardon Dinesh D'Souza, right-wing author who mocked Parkland survivors and defended Hitler

D'Souza pled guilty in 2014 to violating campaign finance laws.

President Donald Trump plans to pardon conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza, who was convicted of felony charges in 2014 after he pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign laws.

"Will be giving a Full Pardon to Dinesh D’Souza today,” Trump tweeted. “He was treated very unfairly by our government!"

D’Souza was sentenced to five years of probation and a $30,000 fine in September 2014, for having reimbursed several people for contributing to Wendy Long’s 2012 campaign for the U.S. Senate.

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D’Souza is also an firebrand author and filmmaker, having written the book “The Roots of Obama’s Rage” and directed titles like “Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party.” (The latter won a Razzie Award for Worst Picture.)

He’s also known for his tendency to generate outrage on Twitter. For instance, six days after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, D’Souza mocked survivors who cried as Florida lawmakers refused to consider a ban on assault weapons.

“Worst news since their parents told them to get summer jobs,” D’Souza wrote, later labeling their tears “politically orchestrated grief.”

He eventually apologized.

Among D’Souza’s other greatest hits: He suggested that the Charlottesville rally was “a staged event.” He decided that it was a good use of time to defend Hitler as “NOT anti-gay.” He suggested former President Barack Obama was a “boy” from the “ghetto.” Oh, and he called Rosa Parks a member of the “OVERRATED DEMOCRATS DEPT.”

He also once shared a meme that called Obama a “gay Muslim” and indicated that Michelle Obama is a man. It was OK, though, because he captioned the meme, “I deplore this. Who is putting out these vile messages on social media?”

Read: Donald Trump pardons Sheriff Joe Arpaio

While past presidents tend to save their politically-tinged pardons for the end of their presidency, Trump has jumped right in. He’s already pardoned people like former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted on criminal contempt charges related to a 2007 class action lawsuit over his treatment of Latino residents, and former Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff Scooter Libby, who was convicted in 2007 of obstruction of justice and perjury related to leaking the identity of a CIA officer.

Cover image: Dinesh D'Souza speaks at the CPAC 2016 conference, March 5, 2016, in National Harbor, Maryland, to promote his new film " The Secret History of the Democratic Party." (Photo by NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)