Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans still hasn’t filed for reelection, but the scandal-plagued legislator made his first 2020-related Office of Campaign Finance filing this week: to establish a legal defense committee.

The D.C. Legal Defense Committee for Jack Evans was established this week, according to Office of Campaign Finances filings first flagged by local activist Keith Ivey. Under D.C. Code, public officials can establish a legal defense committee to ask for, accept, and spend money to “defray attorney’s fees and other related costs” for civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings. The money raised can only be used for legal costs (per the law, paying a fine or settlement, fundraising, media or political consulting fees, or advertising through the legal defense committee are all prohibited).

Evans, D.C.’s longest serving legislator and, until this summer, the chairman of the Metro board, is currently facing a series of investigations: a federal probe into his relationships with private businesses has resulted in subpoenas for his D.C. Council colleagues and the mayor’s office, as well as an FBI raid on his home; in July, the D.C. Council authorized an investigation into Evans’ real or perceived conflicts of interest over his past four years on the council (that inquiry has been delayed by at least a month, because some key people subpoenaed have not complied); and now, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in the House of Representatives has prompted Metro’s inspector general to look into a probe conducted by the Metro board’s ethics committee into pay-to-play accusations (that’s right, folks—it’s an investigation into an investigation into Evans) that eventually resulted in Evans stepping down from the board. The Ward 2 councilmember is also looking at a crowded 2020 primary—already, six opponents have announced their intention to unseat him—and a recall effort.

Legal defense committees require a chairman and a treasurer, and the people listed on Evans’ filing both have spent decades involved in District politics.

Treasurer Donald Dinan is an attorney who has long served as the general counsel for the D.C. Democratic State Committee. That organization has been internally divided over whether Evans should resign from his role as a national committeeman, given the ongoing scandals. Dinan also represented Evans before the D.C. Board of Elections earlier this year, in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the recall effort against Evans from moving forward. Dinan has not responded to requests for comment, nor has Evans’ council officer or his lawyer Mark Tuohey.

Frank Wilds is serving as the legal defense committee chairman. Wilds is an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in Ward 5 who has run multiple times for the Ward 5 council seat. “Jack is a friend of mine for years, and that’s all I have to say about it,” says Wilds, declining to comment further. The day after this story was published, Wilds called back to add: “Sometimes you make a mistake and apologize and realize, ‘Hey, I made a mistake.’ And that’s what [Evans] did. I’ll say one thing—he’s been good for the city.”

OCF filings indicate that the D.C. Legal Defense Committee for Jack Evans is the first legal defense committee established since at least 2000. According OCF, contributions now max out at $2,000 (the only exception being the public official in question). That’s a change as of September 11 of this year—the maximum contribution amount was previously $10,000. Additionally, no lobbyists or people acting on behalf of lobbyists can contribute.

D.C. law requires that legal defense committees file their first reports within their first 30 days, and then every 30 days after that. Reports must include the name and mailing address of anyone who contributed $50 or more, as well as total receipts, and any person who received an expenditure from the committee costing $10 or more.

This story has been updated with additional comment from Frank Wilds and the new maximum contribution.