INDIANAPOLIS -- Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) said a shared IT employee whom now faces bank fraud charges was fired because he "could no longer perform" his job.
Imran Awan was fired from working in Carson's office in February months after Awan and his brothers were implicated in the possible theft of computer equipment.
"Imran was/is not, never has been a staffer of the office of Congressman Carson," Carson said. "He is what's called a shared employee."
Awan was one of three brothers hired as IT professionals who worked in at least 20 Congressional offices in Washington D.C. Capitol Police notified the offices that the brothers were being investigated on Feb. 1, a spokesperson from Carson's office said at the time.
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"He was hired to perform a job," Carson said. "And when he could no longer perform that job, I fired him."
Carson also criticized The Daily Caller, a conservative media outlet that reported on Awan. He said The Daily Caller is pushing a false narrative.
"The Daily Caller is not a reputable entity," Carson said. "I think that they've proven themselves to be very bigoted, Islamophobic and anti-black. I think it goes along with their narrative of anybody who is foreign, who happens to be a Muslim, who happens to be black, happens to be Latino, who conducts unethical acts, they want to condemn the entire Congress."
The Daily Caller reported that an email account linked to both Awan and the House was still active. Carson said the account has been terminated through the House process.
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