by Luke Rosiak
The Awan brothers had full access to all of the emails and files of the following members of Congress—all Democrats—and their staffs.
ARIZONA
Ex-Rep. Ron Barber
Ex-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
Senator Kyrsten Sinema
Rep. Pete Aguilar
CALIFORNIA
Rep. Karen Bass
Attorney General Xavier Becerra
Rep. Julia Brownley
Rep. Tony Cardenas
Rep. Jim Costa
Rep. Ted Lieu
Ex-Rep. Hilda Solis
Rep. Jackie Speier
Rep. Mark Takano
Ex-Rep. Henry Waxman
COLORADO
Rep. Diana DeGette
DELAWARE
Governor John Carney
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester
FLORIDA
Rep. Charlie Crist
Rep. Ted Deutch
Rep. Lois Frankel
Ex-Rep. Joe Garcia
Ex-Rep. Gwen Graham
Ex-Rep. Ron Klein
Ex-Rep. Kendrick Meek
Ex-Rep. Patrick Murphy
Rep. Stephanie Murphy
Rep. Darren Michael Soto
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Ex-Rep. Robert Wexler
Rep. Frederica Wilson
IOWA
Rep. Dave Loebsack
ILLINOIS
Ex-Rep. Melissa Bean
Senator Tammy Duckworth
Mayor Rahm Emanuel
Ex-Rep. Debbie Halvorson
Rep. Robin Kelly
INDIANA
Rep. Andre Carson
Senator Joe Donnelly
Ex-Rep. Baron Hill
KENTUCKY
Ex-Rep. Ben Chandler
LOUISIANA
Rep. Cedric Richmond
MASSACHUSETTS
Rep. Katherine Clark
Rep. Seth Moulton
MARYLAND
Rep. John Sarbanes
MICHIGAN
Rep. Dan Kildee
Rep. Sandy Levin
MISSOURI
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver
NEBRASKA
Ex-Rep. Brad Ashford
NEW MEXICO
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
Sen. Martin Heinrich
NEVADA
Sen. Jacky Rosen
NEW YORK
Rep. Yvette Clarke
Ex-Rep. Joe Crowley
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries
Rep. Gregory Meeks
OHIO
Rep. Joyce Birdson Beatty
Rep. Marcia Fudge
Ex-Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Rep. Tim Ryan
TEXAS
Ex-Rep. Chris Bell
Rep. Joaquin Castro
VIRGINIA
Rep. Donald McEachin
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book includes reporting by Wajid Ali Syed, a Washington-based correspondent for the GEO TV network in Pakistan. One of the savviest journalists I’ve ever met, he moves with astonishing grace through the Pakistani and Washington political scenes. Wajid traveled Pakistan and confronted witnesses at his physical peril, motivated only by his desire for truth. He is a kind and generous man who I consider a friend, and his easygoing style opened Urdu-speaking witnesses.
It also includes reporting by Kerry Picket—who undoubtedly falls under the category of strong, unshakable women—as well as Ethan Barton.
I am in awe of Sumaira Siddique, who left behind riches in Pakistan to follow her heart to the United States, only to wind up in a homeless shelter, and then rise from hardship based on nothing but her intelligence, integrity, and work ethic. A beautiful soul inside and out, she saw her first husband murdered, and faced violent threats from her second husband. Unlike so many others, she never wanted anything but selfless justice. She came forward, to me and to the FBI, despite perceiving imminent risk to her life.
The same cannot be said for the dozens, or hundreds, of Democratic staffers who have for a decade been keenly aware of serious problems relating to Imran Awan’s activities in Congress, but who remained silent merely out of fear that their comfortable careers might, theoretically, be disrupted in the slightest way. To those who did come forward, placing the interests of the United States over those of particular politicians, my gratitude. The sheer number of people who remained silent shows that your commitment to principle over tribalism is uncommon.
This book relies at times by necessity on anonymous sources speaking on deep background to reconstruct scenes. I vetted the credentials of these sources thoroughly over two years, and their information, in every instance that it was possible to cross-reference, proved to be correct. Their insistence on anonymity was well-reasoned: they saw from the earliest days—long before I was convinced of it—that no good-faith investigation was being conducted, and that there was a deliberate concealment campaign. They told me again and again how if there was any chance that, by coming forward publicly, they would be listened to rather than merely retaliated against, they would do so. I pushed back hard against this reasoning at first, but as time went on, the accuracy of that assessment became clear to me.
My gratitude to the leadership of the Daily Caller News Foundation, including Neil Patel and Christopher Bedford, who understand that substantive investigative journalism can’t be done on a tight timeframe; who don’t find validation in following the pack; and who were never silenced by baseless threats from blustering lawyers, knowing that in this country, printing the truth can never be a problem. The Daily Caller News Foundation is an unstoppable pirate ship. While much of the mainstream media has recently, often rightfully, come under attack, organizations like the Daily Caller News Foundation provide a lesson I hope Americans don’t forget: a free press is, and will always be, an essential force in the United States, without which our citizens would be entirely at the mercy of institutions. Though much of the media has fallen into a hive-minded echo chamber, working as a journalist still affords one the independence to be accountable to no one other than the truth, virtually free of the hierarchy and personality-driven forces that seem to corrupt so much else.
I extend my thanks to:
Politicians of all stripes who place principle over fealty to party leadership or institutions, like Louie Gohmert, Jim Jordan, Tim Canova, Scott Perry, Thomas Massie, Tom Coburn and Rand Paul.
Congressional staff who do the grunt work of oversight even when it is unglamorous.
Connie Hair, a veteran staffer, who helped a non-political animal like me understand how in Congress, truths are distorted by politics.
Roland Foster, who stands out among Republican congressional staff for his understanding of something that is better-known on the other side of the aisle: true, compelling stories are more effective political weapons than nearly any legislative tactic.
Regnery Publishing and its editors, who have a rare combination of brains and heart, and who believed in me fully while also making this work better with their experience and expertise.
Newt Gingrich, whose perceptiveness, tact, intelligence, and independence blew me away, and Kathy Lubbers, whose confidence and refreshingly straightforward manner kept me from drowning in the weeds and worry.
The “big” people who saw the truth from the earliest days when few others did: Dana Loesch, Tucker Carlson, Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs, and Sean Hannity.
The “little” people whose lives were disrupted when they intersected randomly with something so much bigger than themselves, but who didn’t shy away from talking with me.
Lauren and the cadre of online readers who made the effort to delve actively into the facts, including, to use their internet handles, Chillum and GreenIzeGirl.
Tom Anderson of the National Legal and Policy Center.
Jacob Fenton, for the initial spark that burned down the house.
Jerry Seper, a fearless editor and loyal mentor who was rattling the House and its members’ penchant for covering for e
ach other before I was born, and who taught me never to give up.
Matt Lavin, whose spiritual guidance strengthened my resilience, clarity, and emotional fortitude.
And most of all, my wife Eleanor, a woman whose versatility and intelligence keeps me in awe, and who became an essential encyclopedia of knowledge on this case—a case far too big for one man to handle—as I was nearly buried under the sheer volume of astonishing facts, none of which anyone else was examining. It was lonely being perhaps the only person who saw the big picture in a case of national importance for so long, but with her, I am never alone.
Paul Ryan’s Republican leadership, the entire Democratic caucus, and the Department of Justice of the strongest nation on Earth did everything they could to prevent the information in this book from coming to light. They were not powerful enough to conceal these events—at least not entirely. Yet, the writing of this book would not have been possible without the Herculean efforts of Eleanor and my mother-in-law. These members of my family expertly, lovingly, and uncomplainingly sacrificed to manage a chaotic and growing household. In the end, only these two women in the Virginia suburbs wielded power sufficient to make the difference between this book being published or its findings remaining forever secret.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LUKE ROSIAK is an investigative reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation. Prior to that, he was an investigator for the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. He has written for the Washington Post, Washington Examiner, and Washington Times, appears frequently on radio and television, and is the recipient of Michelle Malkin’s Bulldog Award. He lives with his family near Washington, D.C. Follow him on Twitter @LukeRosiak.
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NOTES
ONE: "ONLY GOD CAN HELP ME"
1. http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4493190-Pak-Shooting.html
TWO: FRAUD ON CAPITOL HILL
1. https://usasurvival.org/home/docs/Complaint_Against_Jesse_Jackson.pdf
2. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/22/who-are-the-best-and-worst-bosses-on-capitol-hill/
3. https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/dailycaller/awan/fbi_memo.pdf
THREE: THE ELECTION SEASON HACK YOU NEVER HEARD ABOUT
1. http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/111969-pelosi-appoints-first-female-inspector-general
2. http://www.isaca.org/About-ISACA/Press-room/News-Releases/2015/Pages/Hon-Theresa-Grafenstine-of-Washington-DC-Re-elected-International-Vice-President-of-ISACA.aspx
FOUR: THE PUPPETEER
1. http://www.eisenhowerinstitute.org/about/national-advisory-council/fleet.dot
2. http://archive.is/q3iwK
3. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook-power-briefing/2018/07/13/mueller-indicts-12-russians-285949
4. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/13/us/politics/russia-hack-election-dnc.html
FIVE: PANIC
1. http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4493191-Restraining-Orders.html
SIX: A "THEFT INVESTIGATION"
1. https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/dailycaller/awan/cao_memo.pdf
2. http://archive.is/NpaGe
SEVEN: NEWS DUMP
1. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/johnstanton/feds-arrest-five-congressional-it-contractors-at-the-capitol
2. Stephen Taylor is a pseudonym, the only one used in this book. Taylor has seen what has happened to others who spoke out and is afraid of retaliation not only from the Awans, but from his employers in Congress.
3. https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/41311
4. https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/emailid/42803
EIGHT: FRIGHTENING CONNECTIONS
1. http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14226329.Bizarre_extradition_case__The_Glasgow_sex_criminal__the_FBI_probe_and_the_religious_conversion/
2. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4332988-Cia-Lawsuits.html
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/11/us/nation-war-iraqi-americans-iraqis-us-prepare-return-rebuild-homeland.html
4. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/paul-wolfowitzs-iran-connection/
5. https://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/obama-hezbollah-drug-trafficking-investigation/
NINE: PLAYING DUMB
1. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3983049-Scan.html
2. https://www.theindychannel.com/news/politics/fired-shared-congressional-it-employee-could-no-longer-perform-his-job-rep-carson-says
3. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5433625-Cybersecurity-Assistance-Legislation.html
4. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/244/text/eah?
5. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2810/text#toc-H2859C6F8025E4DB9B701C3F7D4BD187FFmu
TEN: POWER OF ATTORNEY
1. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3516620-Abid-Awan-s-stepmother-calls-the-police-on-the.html
ELEVEN: "ROB YOU WITH THEIR TONGUES
1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4803884/Pictured-Dem-aide-charged-fraud-hacking-probe.html
2. https://freebeacon.com/politics/dem-rep-alcee-hastings-paid-convicted-money-launderer-75k-part-time-work-district-office/
3. https://www.opensecrets.org/personal-finances/top-net-worth?year=2008
4. https://www.opensecrets.org/personal-finances/top-net-worth?year=2015
5. https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/dailycaller/awan/Cleaver+OCE+Complaint+(1).pdf
6. https://www.citizensforethics.org/press-release/gregory-meeks-named-most-corrupt-member-of-congress/
TWELVE: PAKISTAN
1. https://www.dawn.com/news/944935
2. http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4484560-Saif-College.html
THIRTEEN: BACK IN THE HOUSE
1. https://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/house-democrats-it-staffers-hina-alvi-imran-awan-235569
2. http://archive.is/bacX0
FOURTEEN: LAPTOP IN A PHONE BOOTH
1. https://www.opensecrets.org/personal-finances/top-net-worth?year=2015
2. http://clerk.house.gov/public_disc/financial-pdfs/2017/10023759.pdf
3. https://ethics.house.gov/gifts/house-gift-rule
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfby0FYLBkM&feature=youtu.be&t=1h26m40s
5. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/fl-reg-wasserman-schultz-discusses-imran-awan-20170802-story.html
FIFTEEN: MEDIA MALPRACTICE: SEE SOMETHING, SAY NOTHING
1. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/21/us/politics/fbi-robert-brady-campaign-finance.html
2. https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/crime/2018/04/02/murder-hire-claim-legit-against-former-springfield-charity-executive-judge-says/479242002/
SIXTEEN: ARREST
1. https://www.wsj.com/articles/legal-fraud-of-the-century-1393978989
2. http://gowensilva.com/christopher-gowen/
3. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/fl-reg-wasserman-schultz-questions-media-20170821-story.html
4. https://www.weeklystandard.com/jenna-lifhits/the-strange-case-of-debbie-wasserman-schulzs-it-guy
5. http://dailycaller.com/2017/09/20/like-a-slave-three-muslim-women-at-least-one-of-them-bloodied-called-police-on-imran-awan/
6. https://dailycaller.com/2017/12/12/federal-judge-recuses-herself-from-a-second-fusion-gps-case/
SEVENTEEN: INSIDER THREATS
1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/federal-probe-into-house-technology-worker-imran-awan-yields-intrigue-no-evidence-of-espionage/2017/09/16/100b4170-93f2-11e7-b9bc-b2f7903bab0d_story.html?tid=sm_tw&utm_term=.4a91d9f427a4
2. http://fullmeasure.news/news/cover-story/cybersecurity-04-26-2018
3. http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4390229-20170901-Letter.html
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RmDQQaOee8&feature=youtu.be
EIGHTEEN: INSURANCE
1. http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4438429-10-4-17-Samina-Gilani-Depo.html
NINETEEN: HELL HATH NO FU
RY LIKE A SHARIA WIFE SCORNED
1. http://fullmeasure.news/news/cover-story/cybersecurity-04-26-2018
TWENTY: JEFF SESSIONS IS MR. MAGOO
1. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2018/04/03/desantis_oversight_committee_should_investigate_debbie_wasserman_schultz_itawan_brothers_scandal.html
2. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/10/14/gohmert_hearing_imran_awan_wasserman_schultz_it_aide_managed_house_cybersecurity_remotely_from_pakistan.html
3. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/987470932989050881
4. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/29/paul-manafort-storage-locker-associated-press-687776
5. https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/donor-accuses-stockman-of-misspending-charitable-donation
TWENTY-TWO: THE PROSECUTION SLEEPS
1. https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/03/politics/imran-awan-debbie-wasserman-schultz-bank-fraud/index.html
2. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/us/politics/imran-awan-congress-bank-fraud.html
3. http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4763619-Sentencingmemo.html
4. http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4777841-Sentencing-Letters.html
5. https://www.investigativeproject.org/2190/rep-meeks-helped-jihad-flier
6. https://www.vox.com/2018/8/21/17766146/michael-cohen-guilty-plea-paul-manafort-day-explained
7. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/23/jeff-sessions-pushes-back-against-trump-actions-of-doj-will-not-be-improperly-influenced-by-political-considerations.html
8. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1033332301579661312
EPILOGUE
1. https://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/leg_report.pdf
Copyright © 2019 by Luke Rosiak
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