Obama’ filmmaker out at NY evangelical college
Oct 18, 2012, 11:46 PM
AP Religion Writer
NEW YORK (AP) – A conservative scholar behind a high-grossing film that condemns President Barack Obama says he resigned as president of an evangelical college in New York so it can move forward.
Dinesh D’Souza posted the statement on his website after the board of The King’s College announced his resignation Thursday.
The evangelical magazine WORLD reported he was engaged to one woman while still married to another. He says leaving the college will allow him to address “personal matters.”
D’Souza directed the political documentary “2016: Obama’s America.” He says he and his wife have been separated since 2010.
D’Souza took his fiancee to a Christian values conference last month in South Carolina. Organizers confronted him after concluding he shared a hotel room there with his fiancee. He insists they stayed in separate rooms.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
The conservative scholar behind a high-grossing film that condemns President Barack Obama resigned Thursday as head of an evangelical college after becoming engaged to a woman while still legally married to his wife.
The board of The King’s College announced school president Dinesh D’Souza was stepping down immediately following their discussion with him during a marathon meeting to decide his future.
D’Souza, director of the anti-Obama documentary “2016: Obama’s America,” has said he’s done nothing wrong. In a statement he posted on his website Thursday, D’Souza said, “it is time to move on.”
“My resignation will enable The King’s College to go forward without distraction,” he said. “And it will also enable me to address personal matters in my life as well as to pursue new opportunities made possible by success of my recent book and film.”
D’Souza resigned two days after the evangelical magazine WORLD reported he spoke at a Christian values conference in South Carolina and brought along his fiancée, Denise Odie Joseph II. Organizers said they confronted D’Souza after concluding that he and Joseph had shared a hotel room while attending the gathering.
D’Souza denied staying in the same room as Joseph. He said he and his wife, Dixie, had been separated since 2010. D’Souza filed for divorce in California a few days after the South Carolina event, according to court records.
After the WORLD report, he called off his engagement.
The King’s College, which was located in the Empire State Building before moving this year to lower Manhattan, aims to shape young Christians as future leaders in business, politics, finance and media.
“After careful consultation with the board and with Dinesh, we have accepted his resignation to allow him to attend to his personal and family needs,” the board said in its statement. Board chairman Andy Mills will take over as interim president while a search begins for D’Souza’s successor.
“God has a mighty future for Dinesh, but there are some things he has to go through first,” Mills told students Thursday, according to The Empire State Tribune, The King’s College newspaper.
D’Souza is a former policy analyst under President Ronald Reagan and a prolific author known most recently for his critical works on Obama. His film was condemned by many critics, including Newsday’s Rafer Guzman, who called it an “attempt at character assassination.” It has become one of the most successful political documentaries ever released, grossing more than $32 million to date.
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