What a week for Jack Evans. After the release of a report outlining a slew of ethical violations and conflicts of interest while serving as the chairman of the Metro Board of Directors, Evans stepped down from the board on Thursday evening. Less than a day later, on Friday morning, federal agents raided his Georgetown home, presumably as part of the federal inquiry into alleged pay-to-play relationships with the private sector.

Given these developments, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announced on Friday that he is appointing an ad hoc committee to investigate Evans, and will put forth a vote to remove the longest-serving councilmember as the chairman of the powerful Finance Committee. The earliest that vote can be scheduled is July.

The council voted to reprimand Evans and strip him of some of his oversight roles as the head of the Finance Committee in March, following the release of emails demonstrating that he used his public position for personal enrichment. A reprimand is a formal statement of disapproval, and some local lawmakers thought at the time that the measure didn’t go far enough.

But members of the council were silent when the Metro board’s ethics committee initially declined to release the findings of its investigation in May. While the governors of Virginia and Maryland called for the inquiry’s conclusions to be made public, the only District officials to request a copy of the report were a group of nine Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners.

With the report now out and in the aftermath of the FBI raid, D.C. officials are starting to chime in. “We are definitely disappointed and very concerned about the very serious allegations that were made this week,” Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters today. “The allegations go right at the heart of public trust.”

Councilmembers are now calling for a D.C. Council-helmed investigation, a censure for Evans, or other consequences. We’ve reached out to all of the councilmembers to see where they stand. But while some of Evans’ competitors in the 2020 race are calling for his resignation, like Patrick Kennedy and Jordan Grossman, no councilmembers have done so.

Chairman Phil Mendelson: Mendelson will appoint a D.C. Council committee to investigate Evans, and strip him of his Finance chairmanship. To remove Evans as chairman, the entire council must vote. He expects that vote to happen in early July. In March, Mendelson declined to form an ad hoc committee, citing the federal investigation, but said that “If there are further revelations, we’ll revisit whether there should be further sanctions.” It appears these updates fit the bill.

At-large Councilmember Anita Bonds: In an emailed statement, Bonds wrote that, “Since the beginning of the federal investigation concerning Councilmember Jack Evans, much has changed at the Council. Following the WMATA report and this morning’s property raid, many doubt Councilmember Evans’ honesty and, ultimately his integrity is in question. As an individual, who has witnessed Jack’s good deeds, my heart bleeds for him. But as an officer of the government, my responsibility is to the residents of D.C. and the institution. The residents and Council deserve a comprehensive investigation.”

At-large Councilmember David Grosso: Grosso has been calling for an ad hoc committee to investigate Evans’ relationship with digital sign company Digi Media since December, and renewed those calls in March and this week, including that Evans should be removed from all committees during the investigation: “Councilmember Evans’ ethical lapses have created a terrible distraction for the Council of the District of Columbia and it is preventing this body from moving forward with its work in a manner that instills trust and confidence in the public. The Council has abdicated its responsibility to conduct an investigation of one of its members—to its own detriment. We cannot continue to incrementally sanction Councilmember Evans based on a slow trickle of information from media outlets. Only a full investigation will provide Councilmembers with the necessary information to act appropriately and with finality.”

At-large Councilmember Elissa Silverman: Silverman was also among the councilmembers who’ve long been calling for a special committee to investigate Evans, and continued to beat that drum following the revelations from the Metro report. After reading it, she called on Evans to resign from the Metro board in a statement: “I am also renewing my earlier calls for the D.C. Council to conduct an investigation into the conduct of Councilmember Evans. I have asked Chairman Mendelson to initiate this action. I suggest the D.C. Council hire an outside law firm to investigate any alleged violations of our law and Code of Conduct. Those findings and recommendations should be brought forth quickly, and Councilmember Evans should be given a chance to respond.”

At-large Councilmember Robert White: “I strongly support Chairman Mendelson’s efforts to remove Councilmember Jack Evans as chair of the Committee on Finance and Revenue and to appoint an ad hoc committee to conduct an investigation. These actions, I hope, will begin to repair the damage done to the public trust,” White said in a statement.

Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau: As she did in March, Nadeau called for an ad hoc committee. She tweeted, “Councilmember Evans resigning his post as WMATA Board Chair was the right thing to do. Earlier this year I came out in support of establishing an ad hoc committee so that Council could do its own investigation of Councilmember Evans’ conduct, and I continue to support that option.”

Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans: Evans has not commented since the FBI raid on Friday morning. As of Friday afternoon, his cell phone was turned off.

Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh: While Cheh has not responded to a request for comment, she told the Washington Post she felt a “deep sense of betrayal” after reading the Metro report. “This is straight-up corruption,” she told the outlet. Per Washington City Paper, Cheh believes that the D.C. Council should censure Evans and strip him of his committee chairmanship.

Ward 4 Councilmember Brandon Todd: Todd tweeted that, “I firmly support the removal of Councilmember Evans as chair of the Finance & Revenue committee, as well as the formation of the ad-hoc committee. I am deeply disappointed and dismayed by the findings of the WMATA report.”

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie: McDuffie tweeted on Saturday that, “As I have discussed with Chairman Mendelson, other Council colleagues, and concerned Ward 5 residents, I support the establishment of a Council Ad Hoc Committee and appropriate steps to immediately address matters relating to Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans.”

Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen: Allen is calling for the D.C. Council to censure Evans and remove him from all committees, though his statement does not mention a council-led investigation: “When the Council voted to reprimand Councilmember Evans earlier this year, we did so understanding new evidence of misconduct could come to light based on pending investigations. With what has been revealed by WMATA’s internal ethics investigation, I believe Councilmember Evans should be censured and removed from all Committees, including as Chair of the Committee on Finance and Revenue, until we have a resolution to any federal investigation. There is no scenario in which Councilmember Evans’ conduct is inappropriate for his service as our representative to the Metro Board, but somehow acceptable as a Councilmember. However, Councilmember Evans served on the Metro Board at the request of the Council. He was elected as a Councilmember based on the voice of Ward 2 voters. That is a much higher standard and I believe at this time that censure and removal from all committee is the appropriate next step until the Council and the people of the District of Columbia know more.”

Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray: Gray declined to comment.

Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White: White has not responded to a request for comment, and does not appear to have commented elsewhere.

Gaspard Le Dem contributed reporting to this story, which has been updated with comment (or lack thereof) from Councilmembers Bonds, McDuffie, and Gray, and a link to Jordan Grossman calling on Evans to resign.

Previously:
Jack Evans Resigns From Metro Board After Doozy Of A Report About His Ethics Violations
Jack Evans Admits He Violated The Metro Board Ethics Code (After First Denying It)
Council Votes To Strip Jack Evans Of Some Finance Committee Responsibilities In Wake Of Ethics Scandal
Reprimand? Investigate? Sanction? Here’s Where Local Officials Stand On Jack Evans’ Ethics Scandal
D.C. Councilmembers Receive Subpoenas For Their Conversations With Jack Evans
Notes On A Scandal: WTF Is Going On With Ward 2’s Jack Evans?