Debbie Wasserman Schultz is at the center of a scandal in Washington this week after it was discovered her IT aide was stealing equipment. Imran Awan was accused of “serious, potentially illegal, violations on the House IT network.” For instance, he reportedly charged the House double the amount required for IT equipment and may have exposed House information online.
Awan was also charged with multiple counts of bank fraud after allegedly engaging in "a scheme to defraud a Congressional Federal Credit Union," according to Fox News.
He was caught at Virginia's Dulles International Airport trying to flee the country to Pakistan Monday night.
Awan’s crimes were discovered back in February and he had been banned from using the House computer network. Every congressional Democrat whom he worked for fired him after learning of the report. Everyone that is, except Wasserman Schultz, who did not let him go until this week. It was unclear which tasks he was still trusted with.
The Weston Democrat has not explained in detail why she continued to employ Awan until Tuesday when she fired him — after he was arrested on bank-fraud charges at Dulles International Airport in Virginia attempting to board a flight to Pakistan.
And she has not elaborated on what work Awan did for her after he lost access to the House computer network.
In a statement, Wasserman Schultz spokesman David Damron defensively said that her team had been given no evidence to suggest Awan had broken a law. As such, she was under the impression he had been the victim of religious profiling. "Upon learning of his arrest," however, Awan was promptly terminated.
"After details of the investigation were reviewed with us, my office was provided no evidence to indicate that laws had been broken, which over time, raised troubling concerns about due process, fair treatment, and potential ethical and religious profiling. Upon learning of his arrest, he was terminated."
This is all very dramatic news. Of course, you didn’t hear about it in the mainstream media. Unless you happened to be watching the 37 seconds of coverage CBS dedicated to it.
Awan pleaded not guilty to bank fraud charges. He has been released under a high-intensity supervision program.