July 2, 2019
Alina Pasha
News Writer
Politics
Photos Courtesy Shutterstock
After the recent FBI raid of his home and reports of ethics violations, DC Councilmember Jack Evans has announced that he will not seek reelection as chairman of the Metro Board. The announcement came days before the beginning of the next Metro Board term, starting July 1st. Denying his decision had any connection to the investigation, he said: “It’s time to rotate to a different jurisdiction.”
The Metro Board member leading the investigation, Clarence Crawford, refused to comment on whether the resignation was given in exchange for the closing of the investigation, simply saying, “We have completed our review, and we have closed the matter.” The conclusion of the investigation involving internal lawyers, outside lawyers, and a board committee, has not been made public. Crawford would not disclose whether any violations were found.
The investigation was closed on May 7th after the Ethics Committee met with Jack Evans, allowing him to present his case. It was initially expected that the Metro Board members would make a decision based on the information given by the Ethics Committee on the same day. However, that meeting was canceled. Following these developments, the DC Council stripped Evans of his oversight of Events DC as well as the Commission on Arts and Humanities, a role he had a the chair of the Finance Committee.
Still Evans has not found his way out of controversy. His connection to lobbyist William Jarvis, who has ties with the Greek gaming company Intralot, is under question as the DC Council prepares to vote on a sports betting contract and a $215 million lottery.
Allegedly, according to the Washington Post, Jarvis helped Evans start his firm, NSE Consulting. The legal firm is now a major part of the FBI investigation that is currently on-going into Evans’ business dealings. Evans insists Jarvis never received any compensation for his help, only helped him as an old friend, and was only involved in the registration of the firm. However, emails recovered by The Washington Post indicate otherwise. The emails consisted of correspondence that would typically take place between a lawyer and client: Jarvis giving Evans legal advice on NSE contract negotiations.
Lobbyists are required to report any “business relationship or a professional services relationships” with city officials and forbid any exchange of gifts between lobbyists and city officials over $100. However, Jarvis did not disclose his relationship with Evans.
