Image 01 Image 03

Report: Wasserman Schultz IT Aides May Have Stolen Sensitive Data

Report: Wasserman Schultz IT Aides May Have Stolen Sensitive Data

“This is a massive, massive scandal.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52uyYdZ5x38

Authorities are investigating whether the IT aides that worked for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and other lawmakers stole sensitive information and sold it to Pakistan and Russia.

The New York Post reported:

Investigators now suspect that sensitive US government data — possibly including classified information — could have been compromised and may have been sold to hostile foreign governments that could use it to blackmail members of Congress or even put their lives at risk.

“This is a massive, massive scandal,” a senior US official familiar with the widening probe told The Post.

The Investigation

In February, reports surfaced that four House employees face an investigation for breaching House IT systems and stealing equipment. Media named Hina, Abid, Imran, and Jamal in reports the following days. Lawmakers fired the four when the suspicions arose and barred the brothers “from computer networks at the House of Representatives.”

The New York Post pointed out that investigators found valuable government data that is believed to have been taken from the network and placed on offsite servers, setting off more alarms.

These IT workers could not produce the stolen equipment, which prompted firings. Wasserman Schultz decided to keep Awan on her payroll and changed his job title.

On July 23, the FBI seized destroyed hard drives from Awan’s home after a Marine Corps veteran and his Navy Officer wife discovered the items. The veteran described the equipment as “wireless routers, hard drives that look like they tried to destroy, laptops, [and] a lot of brand new expensive toner.”

Then Awan found out and became angry when he couldn’t get back his equipment:

The Marine said Imran wanted the hard drives back so desperately that he threatened to sue the renter for stealing them.

“It was unbelievable. I don’t know where they get off thinking they’re going to sue us for items we have no obligation to hold onto,” he said.

Imran came to the house for the items “three to four times,” but the Marine wouldn’t let him enter.

“Their lawyer contacted us today via email and said we owed $350 in late charges and the items he left in the house,” the Marine said.

Wasserman Schultz brushed off allegations, according to The New York Post:

Wasserman Schultz attempted to downplay his alleged conduct, saying he was “transferring data outside the secure network, which I think amounted to use of apps that the House didn’t find compliant with our security requirements.” Such transfers though, could be a serious, potentially illegal, violation.

However, investigators know that he “had access to Wasserman Schultz’s e-mails at both Congress and the DNC, where he had been given the password to her iPad. After DNC e-mails and research files were stolen during the presidential election.”

The New York Post continued:

“It’s clear that large bytes of data were moved off the secure network,” said another source close to the investigation, adding that Awan and the other four staffers under investigation had “full and complete access” to lawmakers’ e-mails, calendars, schedules, hearing notes, meeting notes and memos and other sensitive information.

Investigators are trying to determine if any classified information was compromised. Although the network that was breached is an unclassified system, it’s possible that members or staff cleared to handle classified information inadvertently sent such information in e-mails after getting classified briefings, sources believe.

“Logic dictates that sensitive data was compromised,” the senior official speculated. “An accused criminal with close ties to Pakistan had full and complete control over data that went out over the network.”

The Suspects

The New York Post reported that the Democrats did not vet the suspects very well. Abid has “a rap sheet with multiple offenses, including a conviction for DWI a month before he was hired, and filed for bankruptcy in 2012.”

They also did not have much IT experience, but managed to make $4 million over the decade they worked in Congress:

One, a former McDonald’s worker, was suddenly making as much as a chief of staff.

“These lawmakers allowed an insider threat to come into the House,” the official charged. “Computer equipment was stolen, taxpayers were robbed of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and sensitive data was compromised and possibly sold overseas.”

Indictments

Last week, a grand jury indicted Awan and his wife on four counts even though she is already back in Pakistan with their daughters.

Authorities arrested Awan at Dulles airport in July, where he planned to fly to Pakistan after he wired almost $300,000 to the country. His arrest prompted Wasserman Schultz to finally fire him.

From Fox News:

Awan and other IT aides for House Democrats have been on investigators’ radar for months over concerns of possible double-billing, alleged equipment theft, and access to sensitive computer systems. Most lawmakers fired Awan in February, but Schultz had kept him on until his arrest in July.

The indictment itself, which merely represents formal charges and is not a finding of guilt, addresses separate allegations that Awan and his wife engaged in a conspiracy to obtain home equity lines of credit from the Congressional Federal Credit Union by giving false information about two properties – and then sending the proceeds to individuals in Pakistan.

DONATE

Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.

Comments

May have? Excuse me, but is the Pope a Catholic? (oops, I forgot who’s in charge of the Holy See. Nevermind!) Let me rephrase that…does a bear defecate in the woods?

Bucky Barkingham | August 21, 2017 at 1:13 pm

But were they neo-Nazi racists?

Obviously this is evidence that Trump was in collusion with the Russians and should be impeached or overthrown.

It also proves Trump is a racist and a narcissist and needs to be impeached.

More evidence must be hidden in the confederate monuments that they are taking down in the dead of night. Trump is a racist and needs to be impeached.

sorry- my handle has been hijacked by Mad Max-ine.

Interesting how the media and members of Congress are largely silent about this. We’ve seen Pres. Trump (who I’m not a yuge fan of) accused of being a Russian tool and now a pawn for the neo-Nazi’s. Yet, here we have the former head of the DC and a sitting member of Congress wrapped up in a scandal that now includes criminal indictments and nearly a peep is said.

It seems highly probable that Debbie highly unusual arrangement involved sex with at least one of the brothers.

But, but, but some statues that practically very few Americans know exist is the real problem in our nation!

Just think, Debbie is Jewish by heritage and she sold herself and not only America, but Israel out.
Special hell for someone like this.

“The New York Post reported that the Democrats did not vet the suspects very well.”

I suspect, on the contrary, that the Dems (or at least DWS) had vetted the Awans very well, and knew exactly what they were hiring.

Interesting, but not surprising, how little coverage CNN and the reat of the media have had on this. Just as the SPLC doesn’t investigate hate groups on the left, CNN doesn’t report on Democrtic scandals.

    It’s just another episode of “Hide the ‘D,’ Showcase ‘R'”.

    If Debbie Wasserman-Schultz were a Republican, the news networks would be ALL over this, and they’d include that she’s racist and Islamophobic, too (for firing a Pakistani with an Arab-sounding name).

    And they’d manufacture a way to tie it to Trump. And the neo-Nazis.

    Because she’s a Democrat, they’ll try to “hide the ‘D'” as much as possible. However, because she’s also a very public face (being the former head of the DNC), they really can’t — not like they want. The other option is to just bury the story.

    A major scandal, with serious national security implications … buried. Because “Democrat”.

Will someone not ask if there people are the SOURCE of the DNC leaks?¿?¿

I sure wish there was a special council tasked with looking into Russian interference who could look in to the possible role played by these clowns in any DNC leaks.

Another massive Dem scandal the media will completely ignore because there’s Nazis in the White House or something…

pablo panadero | August 21, 2017 at 4:11 pm

She used the misogyny card over and over to thwart any removal due to incompetence. Now she really hurt the Dems and the nation. But watch the misogyny card get played over and over again by the next female dem in trouble, and it will work again.

The more the democrat media pushes b.s. stories like ‘Russia’ and ‘racism,’ you know they’re trying to distract from ruinous DNC stories like this one.

Much like when the democrat media tries to tell us which GOPe candidate to vote for (and you wisely run the other way), whenever a ‘Russia’ or ‘racism’ story hits the news, immediately look to conservatives new sources to see what the democrat media is desperately trying to hide.

This is such an astonishing comedy of errors that I can’t help but think “malice” instead of “incompetence.” A look at Schultz’s finances (or that of extended family members) could prove enlightening.

The question I want answered and demands being answered is why was Awan’s wife, when caught trying to leave the country with over $12,000 in undeclared cash on her, allowed to continue on to Pakistan instead of being detained? Who made this decision to ignore this crime and look the other way?

The occasional quips about the Democrats being a RICO organization begin to be much less worthy of being said with the ‘twinkle in the eye’ caveat. The ‘stupid,’ ‘careless,’ and ‘betrayed trust’ arguments will only carry you so far; Democrats and their supporters and enablers have run out the string, here. The accumulation of these events dates back to the primaries and early days of the presidential campaign. It would be comforting to see someone – anyone – take them seriously. The question is, who’s left to do it?