Omar Ashmawy is staff director and chief counsel of the Office of Congressional Ethics.[1]
He was born in Jersey City but grew up in Westfield, New Jersey.[2] His father was an immigrant from Egypt. His mother was an immigrant from Italy.[3][2] His mother was Catholic, but Ashmawy was reared in his father's faith tradition and grew up as a practicing Muslim.[2]
Ashmawy attended George Washington University, earning both an undergraduate and a law degree.[4] He joined the United States Air Force after law school, serving in the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG).[4][2] As JAG staff, he was one of the four prosecutors on the Salim Hamdan terrorism case.[2][5]
In September 2022, Ashmawy was arrested for, and would later be charged with, Driving Under the Influence (DUI).[6]