FINALLY: Debbie Wasserman Schultz Responds to Growing IT Scandal

Debbie Wasserman Schultz finally spoke out on the widening IT scandal surrounding her former staffer Imran Awan, telling reporters earlier this week she stands by her decision to keep the technician on her payroll because she was afraid he was being “racially profiled.”

The former Democratic National Committee Chair responded to her critics during an interview with the Sun Sentinel, arguing she kept paying Awan because she was afraid he was being targeted by federal prosecutors because he was a Muslim.

“He’s not my staffer. He no longer works for me. And when he was arrested, I terminated him,” said Schultz. “I kept him on the payroll during the time that he was not arrested and not charged with anything.”

“And that was because, as I said, that I was concerned about the violation of his due process rights and also that there were racial and ethnic profiling concerns as well,” she added.

Imran Awan was arrested at a Washington, DC airport last month while attempting to flee the country. Before leaving, Awan funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to his native Pakistan.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz is under fire for keeping Awan on her staff, despite the fact the technician had been barred from the Capitol by local police and was under investigation for bank fraud.