ADVERTISEMENT

Pelosi Dodges Questions About Under-Investigation Dem IT Staffer Keeping Job

May 25, 2017

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) during her Thursday press conference repeatedly dodged questions over whether or not Imran Awan, an IT staffer for Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D., Fla.) who is  under investigation by Capitol Hill Police, should continue to serve in an advisory role.

A reporter asked Pelosi about Awan, who is under investigation for stealing equipment from members' offices and for possibly illegal actions on the House IT network. Awan remains on Wasserman-Schultz's staff in spite of the investigation.

Pelosi initially did not seem to understand the question about Awan.

"Well, the people who are under investigation are the Attorney General of the United States," she said. "I mean what are we talking about here?"

"Should Imran Awan still be here?" the reporter asked.

"I'm not familiar—you have a very specific charge there," Pelosi said. "I haven't followed that so closely. We've been busy with a lot of other things."

"But," Pelosi said, "there are plenty of people who are under investigation who still have their jobs."

Wasserman-Schultz earlier this week threatened the Capitol police chief with "consequences" if he did not return computer equipment belonging to Awan. Because the equipment is necessary to the on-going investigation, the chief declined to return it.