Trump pardons D'Souza, may pardon Stewart

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump said Thursday he's considering commuting the sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted of corruption, and pardoning lifestyle maven Martha Stewart, who did a stint in federal prison after she was convicted of charges related to a stock sale.

Hours earlier, Trump said on Twitter he will pardon conservative commentator and Obama critic Dinesh D'Souza, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance fraud.

As he left Washington to fly to Texas, Trump tweeted: "Will be giving a Full Pardon to Dinesh D'Souza today. He was treated very unfairly by our government!" D'Souza, an outspoken critic of former President Barack Obama, had claimed his prosecution by the Obama Justice Department was politically motivated, but the presiding federal judge said D'Souza had failed to prove it.

Trump later shared with reporters aboard Air Force One his thoughts on Blagojevich and Stewart.

Blagojevich, the Democratic former governor, began serving a 14-year prison sentence on corruption convictions in 2012. His scheduled release date is 2024. Blagojevich was also a contestant on Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice" reality television show in 2010.

Stewart was convicted in 2004 of obstructing justice and lying to the government about why she unloaded stock just before the price plummeted. She served five months in prison.

Trump also told reporters accompanying him to Texas no one asked him to pardon D'Souza, whose case had become a cause in conservative circles.

Trump said he only knew D'Souza from TV and reading his works.

The filmmaker, author and speaker was sentenced in September 2014 in federal court in New York to five years of probation after he admitted making illegal contributions to a U.S. Senate candidate in New York. Eight months of the first year was to be served in a community confinement center.

D'Souza was also sentenced to an eight-hour day of community service every week of the five-year term, weekly counseling, and was ordered to pay a $30,000 fine along with a $100 special assessment.

White House spokesman Raj Shah echoed D'Souza's claim of selective prosecution.

"Dinesh D'Souza is an individual who, you know, has made restitution and accepted responsibility for his actions. But these are infractions and crimes that are rarely prosecuted, and many believe that he was the subject of some selective prosecution from the previous administration," Shah said on Fox News Channel.

"Nonetheless, he's accepted responsibility and the president thinks it's appropriate that he receive a pardon after community service, paying a fine and doing other things that the judge has required," Shah said.

D'Souza acknowledged he had two close associates each contribute $10,000 to the Senate campaign of Republican Wendy Long with the understanding he would reimburse them.

Individual contributions to any one candidate were limited to $5,000 at the time. Long lost to Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.