WaPo | Federal prosecutors concluded an 18-month investigation into a former
congressional technology staffer on Tuesday by publicly debunking
allegations — promoted by conservative media and President Trump —
suggesting he was a Pakistani operative who stole government secrets
with cover from House Democrats.
As part of an agreement with
prosecutors, Imran Awan pleaded guilty to a relatively minor offense
unrelated to his work on Capitol Hill: making a false statement on a
bank loan application. U.S. prosecutors said they would not recommend
jail time.
But the agreement included an unusual passage that
described the scope of the investigation and cleared Awan of a litany of
conspiracy theories promulgated on Internet blogs, picked up by
right-leaning news sites and fanned by Trump on Twitter.
“The
Government has uncovered no evidence that your client violated federal
law with respect to the House computer systems,” including stealing
equipment or illegally accessing or transferring information,
prosecutors wrote in an 11-page plea agreement dated and signed Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors
described in the agreement a “thorough investigation” that included
forensic analysis of computer equipment and other devices, log-on and
usage data and interviews with about 40 witnesses.
Awan
and four of his associates, including family members, worked as IT
specialists for dozens of Democratic lawmakers until they were banned
from the computer network in February 2017, accused of violating House
security rules. The ensuing investigation attracted aggressive coverage
by conservative media outlets — led by the Daily Caller — and prompted
calls from Trump to prosecute Awan, whom the president referred to in
one tweet as the “Pakistani mystery man.”
