Former Wasserman-Schultz IT staffer tied to Rep. Andre Carson despite denials

A new investigative piece from the Daily Caller’s Luke Rosiak reports that Imran Awan, an IT aide suspected of stealing equipment and data from Congress, still has an active, secret email account on the House computer system:

Imran Awan’s still-active email address is linked to the name of a House staffer who specializes in intelligence and homeland security matters for Indiana Democratic Rep. André Carson. Court documents and emails obtained by TheDCNF show Awan used the address [email protected] in addition to his standard [email protected] account.

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Authorities apparently did not realize Awan has a second account that is not linked to his identity. While his main email address began rejecting mail after it was shut down, the 123 address was still accepting mail Tuesday.

Mail sent via Gmail fills in the name of the account-holder of 123 as Nathan Bennett, whose LinkedIn profile says his individual legislative portfolio covers “national security and foreign affairs” and includes work on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

The member Bennett works for, Carson, is a member of both the House Intelligence and House Homeland Security Committees, and previously employed Awan.

Carson is ranking member of the House intelligence subcommittee on emerging threats, which oversees the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The subcommittee oversight extends to the National Counterterrorism Center and information-sharing programs.

When Carson was elevated to the Intel Committee in 2015, the Center for Security Policy released a dossier warning about his troubling connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.

While no conclusive evidence has yet emerged proving Carson’ knowledge of the email account created under Bennett’s name, his claims that he did not know Awan well are coming under increased scrutiny:

A Democratic IT aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of job concerns, told TheDCNF that Awan and Carson used to play video games together in Carson’s office, and that he had been teaching Carson a foreign language. [Carson spokeswoman Jessica] Gail did not dispute either claim.

As the FBI investigation over the IT work of the “rogue” Pakistani-born Awan brothers continues, and connections with Democratic congressional offices continue to be uncovered, understanding the context of those relationships becomes increasingly vital.

Click here to read the original Center for Security Policy press release in response to Carson’ elevation to the Intel Committee in 2015, or read the dossier embedded in PDF format below:

Andre_Carson_Dossier_02-24-15