Evans was just allowed back in while 4 boxes have come out. Raid seems to be winding down. pic.twitter.com/hg6kGtQJSv
— John Domen (@JDDsays) June 21, 2019
FBI agents searched the Georgetown home of D.C. Councilman Jack Evans on Friday, one day after he put out a letter saying he would step down from the board that oversees the Metro transit agency.
D.C. police secured the area while agents, operating under a court-approved federal warrant, searched the home on P Street NW for about three and a half hours, starting at 6 a.m.
Federal prosecutors would not say what they were looking for.
D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson told WTOP’s Neal Augenstein he was not informed ahead of time about the search of Evans’ home and learned about it from news reports.
Agents left the site around 9:30 a.m. after carrying out several boxes and loading them into parked cars.
Evans — who was not allowed inside during the search — did not comment after authorities left. Neither did his lawyer. Evans simply slammed the door shut and clicked the deadbolt.
Knocks to the home’s front door went unanswered.
WTOP’s John Domen said the scene outside was relatively calm while agents searched, with neighbors alleging that Evans parks illegally, and with the FBI saying it was unlikely that court documents related to the search would be unsealed Friday.
Evans is under federal investigation tied to the accusations that he used his public positions on the D.C. Council and at Metro for personal gain.
Chairman Mendelson announced in a statement after the search that the D.C. Council would be launching its own internal investigation into Evans’ conduct and that he planned to remove Evans from his Committee on Finance and Revenue chairmanship.
“It is imperative that public officials maintain high ethical standards. Public trust is critical. At the same time, it is delicate and precious. We must now work to regain it,” Mendelson said.
He said that Evans’ removal requires approval from the full council, which he expects to happen in July.
The council reprimanded Evans earlier this year.
Evans, who represents Ward 2, released a letter Thursday saying he would resign from the Metro Board next week amid a flurry of calls to step down.
Evans previously agreed not to seek another term as Metro Board chairman and to update years of disclosure forms after the Metro Board’s Ethics Committee found he violated conflict of interest rules.
“The memo and investigation released via WMATA make it clear that Councilmember Jack Evans took advantage of the public’s trust for his personal gain. He also betrayed the Council’s trust in appointing him to this role – and has done damage to this body and the District of Columbia,” Councilman Charles Allen said in a statement.
“With what has been revealed by WMATA’s internal ethics investigation, I believe council member 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.”
D.C. Republican Party Chairman Jose Cunningham also released a statement and called on Evans to resign from his D.C. Council position.
“We’ve seen this story several times before in the last decade. A D.C. council member commits unethical and often illegal acts. His colleagues sit on their hands and do nothing. The council member’s house is raided by the FBI. Well here we go again,” Cunningham said. “It’s time for Mr. Evans to do the right thing and step aside from his position on the D.C. Council.”
WTOP’s Neal Augenstein, John Domen and Max Smith contributed to this report.
