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The city’s Office of Campaign Finance has opened an official investigation into whether Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans improperly used government resources in connection with an ad featuring police Chief Cathy Lanier that ran in the Current newspapers last month.
The decision comes in response to a complaint filed Aug. 28 by Dupont Circle activist Dave Mallof and three other Evans foes. OCF spokesperson Wesley Williams says there’s no timeline on the investigation; nothing will be determined, he says, prior to tomorrow’s primary elections, where Evans is facing a challenge from Mount Vernon Square activist Cary Silverman. Williams could supply no other details on a pending investigation.
It won’t be the first time Evans has been subject to an OCF inquiry. In 2006, the office investigated the “Jack PAC,” an erstwhile political action committee that paid for travel and sports tickets for Evans. A report issued by the office that year concluded that Evans did not violate any city campaign laws, though it recommended that Evans repay more than $6,000 to the committee, which he had already done.
Reagrding the current complaint, Evans campaign chief Keith Carbone says, “I am confident that there is no violation. This is an attempt to get negative press before an election.”