Pure Libel': Dinesh D'Souza Speaks Out Against Scandal Allegations

Filmmaker and author Dinesh D’Souza is at the center of a scandal involving a relationship he allegedly carried on with a woman who was most definitely not his wife, TheBlaze’s Tiffany Gabbay reported earlier this week.

However, what’s slightly strange about this supposed scandal (and the damage it would cause to his career as president of The King’s College in New York City, a Christian school) is the fact that it broke the day D’Souza's popular and profitable anti-Obama film "2016: Obama's America” was released to DVD.

Now, D’Souza has responded to the allegation made against him by the Evangelical Christian publication, World magazine.

“A recent article in World magazine gives the false impression that I, a married man, had an affair with a woman Denise [Odie] Joseph at a Christian conference in [Spartanburg, S.C.,]” D’Souza writes in a recent op-ed for Fox News.

“The article alleges that I shared a hotel room with her and introduced her as my fiancé.  Finally it states that I filed for divorce only on the day I was confronted about my conduct by intrepid reporter Warren Smith,” he adds.

D’Souza flatly states that the allegations aren’t true and offers a laundry list of reasons why:

1. My wife Dixie and I have been separated for two years. Dixie approached me and demanded this [a separation] before I came to King’s College to become its president in late August 2010.  I informed the chairman of the college about this at the time.  I also informed the reporter who wrote the World article, Warren Smith, but he deliberately left it out of his piece, even though it is entirely relevant to the context.

2. I met Denise three months ago.  We are not and have not been having an affair.  Nor did we share a hotel room in Charlotte.  Smith did not even ask me about this.  Instead, Smith apparently deployed conference organizer Alex McFarland to call and raise the issue with me.

I clearly told McFarland that Denise and I stayed in separate rooms. McFarland knew he didn’t have what he wanted, because he subsequently called me back and asked me again.  I realized McFarland may be fronting for Smith, so I told him I didn’t have any further comment.  I’m not sure whether McFarland is lying or Smith is lying, but one of them made up the quotation attributed to me that we stayed in the same room but “nothing happened.”  This is pure libel.

3. I sought out advice about whether it is legal to be engaged prior to being divorced and I was informed that it is. Denise and I were trying to do the right thing. I had no idea that it is considered wrong in Christian circles to be engaged prior to being divorced, even though in a state of separation and in divorce proceedings.  Obviously I would not have introduced Denise as my fiancé at a Christian apologetics conference if I had thought or known I was doing something wrong. But as a result of all this, and to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, Denise and I have decided to suspend our engagement.

Click here to see the rest of D’Souza’s defense.

​UPDATE:

A Blaze source says D'Souza has now resigned his position at The King's College. Read about that here.

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Front page photo courtesy CindyCelebs. This story has been updated to reflect the woman's full name and the correct location of the conference.