Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Guilty of Obstruction of Justice?

image
Shawn M GriffithsShawn M Griffiths
Published: 26 May, 2017
1 min read

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAHGsyt2kZA&t=2m43s

Debbie Wasserman Schultz was caught on tape earlier this week threatening the D.C. Capitol Police chief with "consequences" if his department did not return equipment that was part of an ongoing investigation into Pakistani staffer, Imran Awan.

“My understanding is the the Capitol Police is not able to confiscate Members’ equipment when the Member is not under investigation,” said the former DNC chair in the annual police budget hearing.

“We can’t return the equipment,” replied Police Chief Matthew R. Verderosa.

“I think you’re violating the rules when you conduct your business that way and you should expect that there will be consequences,” said Wasserman Schultz.

Police Chief Verderosa explained to the Florida congresswoman that the equipment was important to the investigation into Imran Awan, who is accused of stealing data from members of Congress and taking it offsite. Blackmail may also be involved.

The Daily Caller was the first to report the video:

"The investigation is examining members’ data leaving the network and how Awan managed to get Members to place three relatives and a friend into largely no-show positions on their payrolls, billing $4 million since 2010."

The video has largely gone unreported in the national and mainstream press, something that didn't escape Tim Canova. Canova is a former candidate for U.S. Congress and founder of the group, Progress for All.

Is Wasserman Schultz guilty of obstruction of justice? Should she recuse herself from the committee that controls the Capitol Police's budget? What do you think?

IVP Donate

Photo Source: AP

You Might Also Like

Proposition 50 voter guide
California Prop 50: Partisan Power Play or Necessary Counterpunch?
November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....
01 Oct, 2025
-
9 min read
court gavel.
Virtual Discussion: The Fight for Equal Independent Voting Rights Makes it to SCOTUS
Every major voting rights movement in U.S. history – whether successful or not – has intertwined with landmark litigation. This was the case for women’s suffrage. It was the case for civil rights. And it is the case in the ongoing effort to protect the right of all voters to have equal participation in taxpayer-funded elections – something millions of independent voters are denied across the U.S....
29 Sep, 2025
-
2 min read
Supreme Court building
SCOTUS Considers Challenge to Closed Primaries -- Here's Why It Is Such a Big Deal
In a dramatic step forward for litigation challenging closed primaries, the U.S. Supreme Court has indicated they are going to conference to discuss whether to grant a writ of certiorari to Polelle v. Florida Secretary of State; a case challenging Florida's closed primaries that Open Primaries has supported since its inception....
26 Sep, 2025
-
2 min read