Dinesh D'Souza, born on April 25, 1961, is an Indian-American [[conservative]] political commentator, author, and filmmaker. He was born in Mumbai, India, and raised in a middle-class Roman Catholic family. He moved to the United States as an exchange student in 1978 under the Rotary Youth Exchange program, attending the public school in Patagonia, Arizona. In 1983, he graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. # Career D'Souza's career began with a brief stint as an editor for the conservative magazine "The Prospect," a publication he helped found while at Dartmouth. He later became a contributing editor for the policy journal "Policy Review" and an editor-at-large for "The American Spectator." In 1987, D'Souza was appointed as a domestic policy analyst in the [[Ronald Reagan]] administration, where he worked in the White House and at the [[Heritage Foundation]]. He eventually shifted his focus to writing, and his first book, "Illiberal Education" (1991), criticized political correctness and what he perceived as a liberal bias in American higher education. D'Souza's writing career continued with several best-selling books, including "The End of Racism" (1995), "The Big Lie: Exposing the Nazi Roots of the American Left" (2017), and "United States of Socialism" (2020). These books tackled various aspects of American politics and culture, often igniting fierce debates and criticism from both the left and the right. In addition to his writing, D'Souza ventured into filmmaking, producing and directing several political documentaries. His first film, "2016: Obama's America" (2012), was based on his book "The Roots of Obama's Rage" (2010). The film became the second-highest-grossing political documentary in the United States. D'Souza followed up with other documentaries, including "America: Imagine the World Without Her" (2014), "Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party" (2016), and "Death of a Nation" (2018). ## Controversy and legal issues D'Souza's career has been marked by controversy due to his provocative views and the subject matter of his works. He has been accused of promoting [conspiracy theories](https://doctorparadox.net/why-do-people-believe-conspiracy-theories/), historical inaccuracies, and [racism](https://doctorparadox.net/category/psychology/racism/) in his books and films. In 2014, D'Souza pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law by making illegal contributions to a 2012 United States [[Senate]] campaign. He was sentenced to eight months in a halfway house, five years of probation, and a $30,000 fine. In May 2018, President [[Donald Trump]] granted D'Souza a full pardon, stating that he had been "treated very unfairly." D'Souza remains popular in right-wing circles -- perhaps not in spite of, but because of, his [federal crimes](https://doctorparadox.net/the-republican-party-is-a-criminal-organization/).