Several members of the D.C. Council—David Grosso, Brianne Nadeau and Elissa Silverman—are calling for a special committee to investigate the “ethical judgement” of Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans.
In a letter addressed to D.C. Council chairman Phil Mendelson, the group says the council must investigative whether Evans violated its code of conduct and they question whether Evans should be stripped of his committee assignments.
“Investigating a colleague is not something we take lightly,” the councilmembers wrote. “However, holding ourselves to the highest ethical standards reinforces that the Council … is dedicated to the accountability of our elected officials.”
Earlier in the day, Mendelson said he asked legislative body’s legal counsel to look at its options following the latest allegations against Evans and Evans’ reported attempts to leverage his office for personal gain.
On Friday, the Washington Post reported that Evans urged law firms in the city to hire him by touting his influence on the council.
Councilmembers are permitted to have second jobs, but they’re supposed to avoid any potential conflicts.
At his press conference Monday morning, Mendelson appeared reticent to directly address the allegations, saying he expected to talk with Evans later in the day.
“Often times there’s more than one side to a controversy — I’d like to understand that,” Mendelson said.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters at a separate event that she expects the city’s ethics board to investigate and “make recommendations” to the D.C. Council on how to handle the latest allegations facing the longtime councilmember.
Evans is being investigated by federal authorities for his relationship with a digital sign company that stood to benefit from a bill that Evans sponsored in 2016. The firm reportedly offered money and stock to Evans. The councilmember says he returned both. Evans later pulled the legislation when he didn’t have enough votes.
This article first published on WAMU.
Previously:
Notes On A Scandal: WTF Is Going On With Ward 2’s Jack Evans?
