Wasserman Schultz spins fairy tale about FBI investigation

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz points the finger at everyone but herself to explain away an FBI investigation into the quagmire of malfeasance in her political office. Wasserman Schultz has assured her constituents that the catastrophic pile-up of I.T. personnel engaged in criminal activity, nonexistent personnel collecting payroll for years, theft of government equipment, and security breaches of government networks are merely a "right-wing conspiracy." Nothing to see here except (of course) "racism."

It's a tangled web, but you'll find Wasserman Schultz at the center of the intrigue. She hires I.T. personnel – many of whom happen to be Muslim – alleging to work full-time while apparently never showing up for work, due to gainful full-time employment elsewhere. That fact merely opened the floodgates to the unending incompetence and wrongdoing facilitated by Wasserman Schultz's office. A key player in the criminal ring, Imran Awan, remained an employee in good standing with Wasserman Schultz's office in Florida. None of this got past our hardworking FBI agents. Awan, a Pakistan-born employee, found himself under arrest while attempting to flee the country in hot pursuit of his family (who had successfully departed the U.S.). He'll be facing "multiple counts of bank fraud," which reflects the tip of the iceberg for an I.T. guy who couldn't stop sharing information with the wrong people. He's also alleged to have borrowed and laundered money from a terrorist-linked Hezb'allah operative Dr. Ali al-Attar. Now, that's one bunch of accomplished murderers you don't want to be indebted to. Awan liked to keep things in the family, hiring various members along with friends, many of whom enjoyed hefty salaries for doing nothing but collecting their ill gotten pay. Wasn't anyone watching the government till? No wonder Wasserman Schultz was most unpleasant to the police officer regarding his confiscation of her office's computer equipment. Police chief Matthew Verderosa refused to be bullied by Wasserman Schultz, who advised him: "I think you're violating the rules when you conduct your business that way, and you should expect that there will be consequences." Chief Verderosa politely advised the official he would not be returning the equipment. Wasserman Schultz is not without her allies, even ones requiring criminal defense attorneys. She can take notes from Awan's attorney, who has already submerged himself in rhetoric worthy of the most formidable bottom-dwellers in the murkiest swamps. "This is clearly a right-wing media-driven prosecution by the U.S. attorney's office," says attorney Chris Gowen. Mr. Gowen isn't satisfied with recycling the "right-wing conspiracy" charge from the Florida representative and conjures up his own conspiracy allegation: "[U.S. attorneys] want to prosecute people for working while Muslim." No one would argue that Awan wasn't one busy employee who actually showed up for work (as opposed to his circle of questionable of friends and family members). Just for the record, Awan's attorney was the first to mention the defendant's religion. Everyone else was focusing on Anwan's nondenominational activities, which will assuredly keep his attorney busy reviewing several thousand pages of FBI documents covering all sorts of nonreligious activities, including stolen government equipment, multiple bank fraud transfers, destruction of taxpayer property, breaches in security involving numerous members of the House, and suspected links to a terrorist group. Does Mr. Gowen truly believe that his client is being targeted because he's a Muslim? Or does Mr. Gowen suspect that his client played a pivotal role in orchestrating an unholy mess of criminal activity?