One family from Pakistan has made over four million dollars doing IT work for Democrats. They are under heavy investigation for all manner of fraud and theft. As well, some of them have fled the country and another was stopped at Dulles Airport. Meanwhile, a member of Congress and former Democrat Party Chair seems intent on frustrating the investigation and concealing the truth. Think for a moment how this would play out if the party affiliations were different here.
The latest news about Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and former Democrat IT staffers of the Awan family is strange. We know that “brothers Imran, Abid, and Jamal Awan and Hina Alvi, Imran’s wife, each made $160,000 a year as information technology workers for the House.” We also know that the FBI seized two hard drives from the home of one of the Awans – both smashed in an attempt to destroy them – and arrested Imran Awan at Dulles Airport last week as he tried to flee to Pakistan.
You could be forgiven for not hearing about all this, though. This is one of those stories that would see flood zone coverage if it were about Republicans but somehow seems to receive scant attention since it’s all in the lap of Democrat leadership. As Instapundit Glenn Reynolds quotes, “Journalism is about covering important stories. With a pillow, until they stop moving.” Just think of the media as Democrat operatives with bylines, and it all makes sense.
This story has been well covered by the Daily Caller’s Investigative reporter Luke Rosiak. And the tale is much like an onion, with each layer fascinating unto itself and a seemingly significant whopper on its own: such as Wasserman-Shultz threatening the Capitol Police with “consequences” when they declined to release a computer seized as evidence in the investigation:
“My understanding is the the Capitol Police is not able to confiscate Members’ equipment when the Member is not under investigation,” Wasserman Schultz said in the annual police budget hearing of the House Committee On Appropriations’ Legislative Branch Subcommittee.
“We can’t return the equipment,” Police Chief Matthew R. Verderosa told the Florida Democrat.
“I think you’re violating the rules when you conduct your business that way and you should expect that there will be consequences,” Wasserman Schultz said.
Apparently, the confiscation accomplished nothing:
The computer was not returned, but it was reported Wednesday that investigators have not been able to examine contents of the equipment.
Now, after months of refusals, a lawyer representing the Florida lawmaker said she is “negotiating” with Capitol Police over whether she will grant them access, Fox reported.
After reading about the brothers’ financial affairs and transactions, it seems they are involved in fraudulent mortgages and land sales. But is there something more? Is the cover-up worse than the crime? Since these Pakistani nationals have had such intimate and ongoing access to the emails of top leadership, blackmail is suspected. If not, why would Wasserman-Schultz keep employing this family after their fraudulent practices were exposed? In fact, the Florida Congresswoman was seemingly ready to continue to pay these suspects even in Pakistan. She just fired them last week, but their shady practices saw them banned from House of Representative's business on February 2.
Perhaps we’ll see some sunlight on this morass soon. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said last week “there should be a thorough investigation” on the matter. Former George W. Bush administration U.S. Attorney and head of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, Matthew G. Whitaker, has filed a complaint against Wasserman-Shultz with the Office of Congressional Ethics. No reporters were seen camping out in front of her home though, and since Russia appears nowhere in this investigation (yet), it just doesn’t have what it takes to make the front page these days. But here at Liberty Nation, we choose not to ignore the real news.
