Ted Cruz says he urged Trump to pardon D’Souza

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) said Friday that he was instrumental in organizing the pardon of conservative author Dinesh D’Souza over his 2014 conviction for illegal campaign donations.

According to The Texas Tribune, the senator told reporters on Friday that he made the suggestion to the president when Trump was in Dallas for the annual National Rifle Association convention, where Trump gave an address.

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“He had just pardoned Scooter Libby, who I think Scooter likewise had faced an unfair prosecution,” Cruz said, according to the Tribune.

“I think that pardon was the right thing to do, and so in the car ride, I said, ‘You know, Mr. President, another pardon very much along the same lines of Scooter Libby would be Dinesh D’Souza, who I think was unfairly politically targeted.’ And the president agreed,” he continued.

D’Souza was convicted and jailed in 2014 for illegally using straw donors to donate to a GOP Senate candidate. The president pardoned D’Souza this week, calling his prosecution by the Obama administration “unfair.”

“Will be giving a Full Pardon to Dinesh D’Souza today. He was treated very unfairly by our government!” Trump tweeted Thursday morning. In later statements to reporters, the president denied that anyone had asked him to pardon D’Souza.

“I read the papers, I see him on television,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

“I never met him, I called him last night, first time I’ve ever spoken to him, I said, I’m pardoning you. Nobody asked me to do it,” the president said, adding that “a lot of people” agreed with his decision.