NEW YORK (AP) — An Indian-born conservative scholar behind a high-grossing documentary that condemns President Barack Obama is under investigation by the evangelical college he leads over a report he took a woman who is not his wife to an event on Christian values.
The King’s College board announced the review on Tuesday, the day the conservative Christian newsmagazine WORLD reported event organizers had confronted Dinesh D’Souza about sharing a hotel room with a woman he introduced as his fiancee. D’Souza filed for divorce from his wife, Dixie D’Souza, a few days after the conference, California court records show.
The event, Truth for a New Generation, was held the weekend of Sept. 28 in South Carolina.
In a brief telephone interview with The Associated Press, Dinesh D’Souza, who became president of The King’s College in 2010, said he and his wife have been “living in a state of separation for two years.” He denied sharing the hotel room with the other woman.
“Obviously, I wouldn’t have introduced her as my fiancee if I thought we were doing anything improper,” D’Souza said, adding they have called off their engagement.
The 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 all sectors of society.
D’Souza is a former policy analyst under President Ronald Reagan and a prolific author known most recently for his critical works on Obama. He directed the film “2016: Obama’s America,” based on his book “The Roots of Obama’s Rage.”
The film was condemned by many critics, including Newsday’s Rafer Guzman, who called it an “attempt at character assassination.” But it has become one of the most successful political documentaries ever released.
The King’s College board chairman, Andy Mills, has known about D’Souza’s marital troubles for at least two years, spokesman Mark DeMoss said.
“While our board had been aware of some of these details, we were not aware of others,” the board said in a statement.
The board said it held a conference call with D’Souza on Monday and plans to review the situation during its previously scheduled meetings on Wednesday and Thursday in New York.
“In the meantime,” it said, “be assured we take seriously our charge to teach a compelling worldview rooted in the Bible and expect all of our leaders to model Christian character and integrity in their public and private lives.”
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.