Politics

White House: There Should Be A ‘Thorough Investigation’ Of Arrested Wasserman Shultz Staffer

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Henry Rodgers Chief National Correspondent
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The White House called for a “thorough investigation” Thursday related to the arrest of Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s information technology staffer who was arrested at Dulles Airport while attempting to flee the country.

Imran Awan, Schultz’s staffer, remained on the job with congressional computer access for almost five months after the FBI started investigating him for fraud. Awan was arrested boarding a flight to Pakistan after wiring $283,000 from the Congressional Federal Credit Union to the same country.

“I do think it is something we should fully look into and there should be a thorough investigation,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

Wasserman Schultz previously told investigators there would be “consequences” if Awan’s laptop, seized by police, was not promptly returned to her office.

Awan attempted to leave the country hours after The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group revealed that he is the target of an FBI investigation, and the FBI apprehended him at the airport. (RELATED: Wasserman Schultz’s IT Aide Arrested At Airport After Transferring $300k To Pakistan From House Office)

Awan plead not guilty to a charge of bank fraud and was released, based on conditions that he remain on house arrest wearing a GPS monitoring device.

Editor’s Note:

The Daily Caller, Inc., the Daily Caller News Foundation, and Luke Rosiak have settled a defamation lawsuit brought by Imran Awan, Abid Awan, Jamal Awan, Tina Alvi, and Rao Abbas (“the Plaintiffs”), in the D.C. Superior Court, Awan et al. v. The Daily Caller, Inc. et al., No. 2020 CA 000652 B (D.C. Super.) (“The Lawsuit”).
 
The Plaintiffs filed the Lawsuit in 2020, alleging that they were defamed by statements made by The Daily Caller entities and Mr. Rosiak, including statements in Obstruction of Justice, a 2019 book authored by Mr. Rosiak and published by Regnery Publishing, a business of Salem Media Group, Inc., about the Plaintiffs’ work for the U.S. House of Representatives. In response, The Daily Caller entities and Mr. Rosiak each denied liability and contested the Plaintiffs’ claims. 
 
None of the Defendants has admitted to any fault as part of this settlement. Nevertheless, The Daily Caller entities and Mr. Rosiak recognize that no charges have ever been filed against the Plaintiffs relating to their congressional IT work.

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