A now fired staffer for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz[+]
In a plot Tom Clancy might have dreamed up, an IT staffer who’d worked for Democrats in Congress was arrested by federal officials and charged with bank fraud. Fox News has reported that officers and agents from the U.S. Capitol Police, the FBI and Customs and Border Protection, were involved in the arrest of Imran Awan at Dulles International Airport not far from Washington, D.C., as he tried to fly away to Pakistan.
Awan has pleaded not guilty to bank fraud, but his strange case has all the feeling of the opening scene of a movie that might soon include political corruption and so much more.
Democrats are being understandably quiet about the hill staffer who had been employed by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) as of Tuesday morning, but has now reportedly been fired. Politico has reported that Awan is “at the center of a criminal investigation potentially impacting dozens of lawmakers.” Awan was arrested after wiring $283,000 from the Congressional Federal Credit Union to Pakistan, says The Daily Caller.
Now RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has gone on FOX Business to demand that Democrats explain what this is all about.
McDaniel said, “We have to get to the bottom of this, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz has obstructed at every level on something that affects potentially our national security. So to have this gentlemen try and leave the country yesterday, and now we know there is bank fraud and we know he destroyed these hard drives, when you read story about the Marine that found them in the apartment he was trying to rent. I mean, it is a long story but something we have to get to the bottom of. We are not hearing the Democrats talk about it at all. Where’s Debbie Wasserman Schultz? And we also need to know why the DNC never turned over their hard drive to the FBI to review it as to their hacking situation. So the Democrats are on TV and they’re grandstanding every chance they get, but they’re not complying and they’re not being forthright with their role.”
The criminal investigation alleges “stealing equipment from members’ offices without their knowledge and committing serious, potentially illegal, violations on the House IT network.”
McDaniel is so worked up because Awan allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment from House offices and even allegedly funneled sensitive congressional data offsite in what some are calling a massive cyber-security breach.
Last Sunday The Daily Caller reported that the FBI seized smashed hard drives from Awan’s home. Awan has worked for more than a dozen House Democrats. When allegations began to surface, some Democrats fired Awan but Rep. Wasserman Schultz kept him on staff.
There are now more questions than answers, but all of this in causing many to ask about the DNC’s hacked servers before the last election that for some reason were never made available to FBI investigators.
Though this is a complex and ongoing investigation, it’s clear that the DNC has not been open and transparent—for what reason we don’t yet know. This is a poignant example of why, in this modern, digital age we need new laws to open up the finances of our elected representatives.
Miniter’s new book, Killing Big Brother, is available now on Amazon.
In a plot Tom Clancy might have dreamed up, an IT staffer who’d worked for Democrats in Congress was arrested by federal officials and charged with bank fraud. Fox News has reported that officers and agents from the U.S. Capitol Police, the FBI and Customs and Border Protection, were involved in the arrest of Imran Awan at Dulles International Airport not far from Washington, D.C., as he tried to fly away to Pakistan.
Awan has pleaded not guilty to bank fraud, but his strange case has all the feeling of the opening scene of a movie that might soon include political corruption and so much more.
Democrats are being understandably quiet about the hill staffer who had been employed by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) as of Tuesday morning, but has now reportedly been fired. Politico has reported that Awan is “at the center of a criminal investigation potentially impacting dozens of lawmakers.” Awan was arrested after wiring $283,000 from the Congressional Federal Credit Union to Pakistan, says The Daily Caller.
Now RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has gone on FOX Business to demand that Democrats explain what this is all about.
McDaniel said, “We have to get to the bottom of this, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz has obstructed at every level on something that affects potentially our national security. So to have this gentlemen try and leave the country yesterday, and now we know there is bank fraud and we know he destroyed these hard drives, when you read story about the Marine that found them in the apartment he was trying to rent. I mean, it is a long story but something we have to get to the bottom of. We are not hearing the Democrats talk about it at all. Where’s Debbie Wasserman Schultz? And we also need to know why the DNC never turned over their hard drive to the FBI to review it as to their hacking situation. So the Democrats are on TV and they’re grandstanding every chance they get, but they’re not complying and they’re not being forthright with their role.”
The criminal investigation alleges “stealing equipment from members’ offices without their knowledge and committing serious, potentially illegal, violations on the House IT network.”
McDaniel is so worked up because Awan allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment from House offices and even allegedly funneled sensitive congressional data offsite in what some are calling a massive cyber-security breach.
Last Sunday The Daily Caller reported that the FBI seized smashed hard drives from Awan’s home. Awan has worked for more than a dozen House Democrats. When allegations began to surface, some Democrats fired Awan but Rep. Wasserman Schultz kept him on staff.
There are now more questions than answers, but all of this in causing many to ask about the DNC’s hacked servers before the last election that for some reason were never made available to FBI investigators.
Though this is a complex and ongoing investigation, it’s clear that the DNC has not been open and transparent—for what reason we don’t yet know. This is a poignant example of why, in this modern, digital age we need new laws to open up the finances of our elected representatives.
Miniter’s new book, Killing Big Brother, is available now on Amazon.
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