The Awan connection

Poltico reported in February that five House staffers were under criminal investigation amid allegations that they stole equipment from more than 20 member offices and accessed House IT systems without lawmakers’ knowledge. The five staffers all worked for Democratic congressmen and have links to Pakistan. The Daily Caller reported that one of the suspects has hightailed it to Pakistan.

Something is happening here. One can only infer that some serious breach of security involving a spy ring seeking to misappropriate confidential and classified information is involved.

The New York Post reported that the criminal investigation was shrouded in mystery. “In a recent twist in the criminal probe,” the Post noted, “Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) demanded that Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa return equipment belonging to her office that was seized as part of the investigation — or ‘[expect] consequences.’”

Above is a video clip from the May 18 House Appropriations Committee budget hearing, covered here by the Daily Mail. According to the Daily Mail, Wasserman Schultz “still employed the staffer [under investigation] and that is why her computer was taken by police as part of their investigation….The Capitol Police and other agencies are investigating Imran Awan, who has run technology for Wasserman Schultz since 2005. He was banned from the House network in February on suspicion of data breaches and theft.”

In the latest development in the case Imran Awan was arrested Monday night at Dulles International Airport where he was “trying to leave the country,” Fox News reported Tuesday evening. Following his arrest for bank fraud, Schultz finally fired Awan. PJ Media’s Debra Heine has more here.

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