The federal judge in the Awan case has President Barack Obama’s back. His cohorts Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch are likely covered too. No worries in The Swamp.
U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the Imran Awan and Hina Alvi fraud case, was appointed to the federal bench by Obama after she kicked thousands in campaign donations to his presidential campaign when he was a U.S. Senator in Illinois, records confirm.
Obama also appointed Chutkan’s husband, Peter Krauthamer, a judge to the bench in the District of Columbia Superior Court in 2011.
Krauthamer’s mother, and Chutkan’s mother-in-law, also contributed campaign cash to Obama, records confirm.
And Chutkan’s former law firm, where she worked until her appointment to the federal bench in 2014, currently represents Huma Abedin, the wife of disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner. The firm also is stacked with Democratic lawyers who worked for Hillary Clinton, John Podesta, and Barack Obama’s White House, just to name a few D.C. insiders.
If Obama or his administration is implicated in the expanding Awan Congressional probe they likely have little to worry about.
These revelations damper rank-and-file FBI agents who are pressing to expand the case to encompass Awan’s two brothers and press an indictment for selling intelligence gleaned and possibly stolen from Congressional IT network the Awams were charged with safeguarding.
“It’s rigged from almost every angle,” a frustrated FBI insider said.
That’s because the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia — Channing Phillips — who is running point on the case is likewise a Democrat, appointed by President Barack Obama. Phillips was appointed just months before the grand jury convened to weigh evidence in the Awan case.
And Phillips is a long time protege of Holder and Lynch who both served concurrently as attorney general while the Awan clan was running loose in Congress. Phillips worked under both for many years.
FBI agents fear Phillips — now backed by the federal case judge Chutkan — has cleverly rigged the Awan case to protect Obama, Lynch, Holder and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. This likely includes the dozens of Congressional Democrats the Awans served as IT specialists.
Awan and Alvi, husband and wife, were indicted on bank fraud and financial crimes on August 17, but federal agents believe this case is much larger than mortgage-related crimes. There is growing evidence, for instance the Awans could have sold classified information to foreign governments outside the United States. Then there is growing talk that the Awans may have blackmailed Congress with damaging emails and photos. FBI sources also believe someone in Congress tipped the Awans off months before their grand jury indictment.
Chutkan has come under fire recently for tilting the case in Awan’s favor, granting motions by his legal team to give the accused fraudster more leeway and travel freedom with his pretrial intervention program, while stifling third-party motions to offer evidence in the case.
Chutkan contributed to his Obama’s first presidential campaign eight separate times. In all Chukan kicked over $4,000 to Obama’s campaign and PACs, almost maxing out the personal contribution limit set by the FEC, records show.
The explosive Awan case could also possibly implicate Obama as well as former attorneys general Holder and Lynch. Those tenets have not been lost on veteran federal agents with knowledge of the evidence unfolding in this complicated case against a family of alleged Pakistani IT gurus.
FBI agents said the U.S. Attorney Phillips in D.C. is like protecting Holder, Lynch and Obama “depending how deep this mess is.”
“He may have been appointed for the sole purpose of quashing this case,” a FBI insider said.
By 2010, Phillips was Holder’s senior advisor at Justice. He stayed in that role serving Lynch after Obama appointed her to replace Holder.
President Trump has nominated Jesse Liu as the new US Attorney to replace Phillips, the Obama holdover. However, Schumer and senate Democrats have stalled Liu’s confirmation. This has provided Schumer de facto control of the Awan investigation which otherwise could implicate dozens of his fellow Congressional Democrats. Wasserman hired the Awans as IT specialists and shared the four Awans with other Democrats for classified computer work.
In essence, Schumer can currently dictate whether any charges are brought against members of Congress linked to Awan-related crimes, sources said. Until either Liu is confirmed or Phillips is forced out by President Trump.
Chutkan, the federal judge on the Awan case, was born in Jamaica. She lived in Jamaica, the Bahamas, France and Spain before coming to the United States, federal law enforcement sources said.