[ad_1]
Federal prosecutors concluded an 18-month investigation into a former congressional technology staff member Tuesday by publicly debunking the allegations – promoted by the conservative media and President Trump – suggesting that he was a Pakistani agent who stole the secrets of the government. ] As part of an agreement with prosecutors, Imran Awan pleaded guilty to a relatively minor offense unrelated to his job on Capitol Hill: making a false statement on a bank loan application. US prosecutors have stated that they would not recommend imprisonment.
But the agreement included an unusual passage that described the scope of the investigation and clarified Awan from a litany of conspiracy theories promoted on Internet blogs, taken up by websites of the same. right information, "The government has found no evidence that your client has violated federal law regarding the computer systems of the House", including stealing equipment or accessing or illegally transferring information, prosecutors wrote in the plea agreement dated and signed on Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors described in the agreement a "thorough investigation" that included the forensic analysis of computer equipment and other devices, connection data and use and interviews with about 40 witnesses.
Awan and four of his associates, including family members, worked as computer specialists for dozens of Democratic legislators until they were banned from the computer network in February 2017 for having violated the security rules of the House. The investigation that followed attracted aggressive coverage by conservative media – led by the Daily Caller – and prompted Trump's calls to sue Awan, whom the president called in a tweet "The Mysterious Man" Pakistani."
will lobby for specific results of federal criminal investigations and suggest concealment by his own Department of Justice. Trump also tried to tie Awan to the hacking of the National Democratic Committee server – a violation that intelligence agencies have concluded was ruled by Russia.
"Our Justice Ministry should not let Awan & Debbie Wasserman Schultz get away with it," he tweeted last month, after a court said prosecutors were plea bargaining. "The IT Democrat The scandal is the key to a lot of the corruption we see today.They want to make an" advocacy agreement "to hide what's on their server.Where's the server? Really bad!"
Attorneys for the United States District Attorney's Office in Columbia did not mention Trump by name or any publication in the agreement.
But the agreement included an exhaustive list of "Public allegations" that prosecutors investigated and shot down.
[1945902]
"In particular, the government found no evidence that your Customer has illegally removed data from House Chamber Network or Members' offices, stole the House Democratic Caucus Serve, steal or destroy information technology equipment, or access government information misclassified or sensitive.
The office that conducted the investigation is headed by US lawyer Jessie K. Liu, appointed by Trump. Awan has been released from electronic surveillance and will be free pending his conviction on August 21, ordered judge Tanya S. Chutkan at Tuesday's hearing
As part of the agreement, Prosecutors have agreed to abandon a charge of bank fraud, Hina Alvi. Awan has agreed to plead guilty to a crime related to a home equity line of credit. He told a bank that the house was his wife's main residence; it was a rental property.
Awan's attorney described the case as a "political prosecution" and a "huge waste of time and resources for law enforcement."
"The amount of misinformation conveyed by right-wing media, all" Awan and his associates were each assigned to work for individual lawmakers, but they shared tasks and login information for multiple servers, a prohibited practice by the rules of the House. "Gowen said that other security issues that led to the loss of Awan's access to the House network illustrated a culture of" disorganization "in Congress rather than spying.
In his first public statements since the beginning of the investigation in an interview before Tuesday 's hearing, he wondered if the case would have been continued. he had no Pakistani name.He said that he came to the United States as a teenager, that he went to university, that he did not go to school. he became an American citizen and built a career on Capitol Hill, what he described as the fulfillment of a dream
my livelihood, my family, "he said. "I can not believe it."
He added: "The president has used me to advance his political agenda."
[ad_2]
Source link
