Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the former Democratic National Committee chairperson, is quite possibly the poster-child for the utter moral and ethical bankruptcy of the Democratic Party. She has stubbornly defended and aided a man suspected of a laundry list of crimes, including stealing sensitive information and possibly selling it to a foreign power, bank fraud, assault, and domestic violence. That man is Imran Awan, a former IT aide to Wasserman Schultz and 29 other congressional Democrats.
Awan was arrested in July as he attempted to flee the United States for his native Pakistan and now faces a Grand Jury indictment for bank fraud. His association with so many Democrats, while he and his family bilked the federal government of vast sums of money, could ultimately lead to the end of Wasserman Shultz’s political career or worse.
Luke Rosiak, an investigative reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation, has been following the Awan affair for months. The Democratic Party and establishment media try desperately to downplay and dismiss this devastating scandal, which also involves the transfer of huge amounts of government data to a hidden, private server. In spite of this, Rosiak has written a series of detailed reports for the Daily Caller, the most recent of which was published Wednesday.
Captivity and Physical Abuse
In addition to numerous concerns regarding national security and financial irregularities, allegations of intimidation and physical abuse of three Pakistani women have now also come to light. Through FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests, Rosiak obtained police reports and other court documents in the state of Virginia detailing a history of threats and physical violence committed by Imran Awan against the three women.
Salam Chaudry lived in an apartment in Alexandria, Va., paid for by Awan, who is married. In December of 2015, she reported a “domestic dispute.” According to the investigating officer, Awan was at the apartment against Chaudry’s wishes and would not leave. Chaudry had undisclosed physical injuries that she claimed had happened while she was washing dishes. Awan was found to have dried blood on his hand which he said was the result of a minor accident.
Another woman, Samara Siddique, suffered a series of apparent physical assaults by Awan in 2016. In one incident, she sustained “small cut[s]” to her arm and stomach, according to police. Siddique told authorities that Awan, who she described as her boyfriend, “treat her bad and keep her there like a slave [sic],” according to the police report.
A short time after Saddique made this statement to police, Awan stopped paying the rent on her apartment, and she was evicted.
The third woman to bring a complaint against Awan was Samina Gilani, the mother of Awan’s wife. Gilani has claimed that Awan did not allow her to leave the house, kept tabs on her via listening devices and phone-taps, and threatened to have members of her family kidnapped if she contacted police.
How Complicit is Wasserman Schultz?
Debbie Wasserman Shultz has defended Awan and kept him on her payroll even after other Democrats terminated his contracts with them. She has claimed that Awan and his family have been “persecuted” and are victims of “Islamophobia.”
Considering how Democrats fancy themselves the champions of women’s rights, it is worth noting that Wasserman Schultz continued to employ and cover for Awan even after she was made aware of the allegations brought against him by Chaudry, Siddique, and Gilani. In an interview with Liberty Nation’s Tim Donner – to be aired on libertynation.com this coming week – Luke Rosiak describes how he alerted the congresswoman to these allegations:
“[but] this has been something that Wasserman Schultz knew about. I sent her the court paperwork…and after that, Wasserman Schultz defended him and kept him on staff and said she had no reason to believe that, you know, some of this stuff was real.”
Most of the other House Democrats – who employed Awan as an IT assistant – have refused to comment on the scandal. Awan had been employed by many of them for years; he and his wife were both being paid $330,000 in annual congressional salaries. Awan’s attorney is Chris Gowen, who formally worked for Bill and Hillary Clinton.
The Awan affair raises many grave concerns over national security and, indeed, over how congressional staffers are screened prior to employment. As for Wasserman Schultz, one can only speculate about her incredibly misguided loyalty to this most dishonest and unsavory of employees. What other links exist between her and Awan? What hold, perhaps, does Awan have over her?
The ongoing investigation may yet prove to be the most damning episode in the downward spiral of an already imploding Democratic Party.
