Multiple Muslim women are alleging that former IT aide for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) Imran Awan abused them while they were in relationships with him, according to police reports from Virginia law enforcement.
One woman who police found covered in blood told officers she “just wanted to leave,” a second woman told officers she felt enslaved, and a third said her abuser was keeping her “in captivity,” according to Fairfax County Police reports obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The third woman, Awan’s stepmother Samina Gilani, alleged that Awan abused his authority as a congressional staffer to intimidate immigrant women, court documents show.
Fifteen out of the 17 Democratic congresswomen Awan worked for in the House refused to comment on the allegations.
Wasserman Schultz kept Awan on the payroll months after he was banned from the House computer network on February 2, 2017, for being a suspect in a criminal investigation. She reportedly wanted to defend his rights, as have other Democrat members of Congress who say he was unfairly targeted for being a Muslim.
Many Republican lawmakers pressed Wasserman Schultz for an explanation of why Awan was on her payroll while he was under investigation following his arrest in August 2017.