Three years after pleading guilty to lying to FBI agents and resigning his post as a Harris County commissioner to avoid further prosecution, Jerry Eversole is seeking a presidential pardon for his misdeeds.
In a letter sent to at least one of his supporters, lawyers for the disgraced Pct. 4 commissioner are asking for character affidavits that will accompany the eventual application to the Pardon Division of the U.S. Dept. of Justice.
“Jerry now intends to seek a pardon from the President of the United States,” according to the letter. “He is doing so with the support and encouragement of people who believe a pardon is appropriate.”
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A letter dated March 13 asking for a positive recommendation for the former GOP commissioner was sent to lifelong Democrat and First Assistant County Attorney Terry O’Rourke, who said he plans to write a personal letter of support.
He said he was impressed that Eversole worked to help settle an acrimonious lawsuit between the county and Waste Management Inc. over industrial pollution in the San Jacinto River.
“I plan to ask for a pardon because of what he did after he was convicted,” O’Rourke said. “He really worked to bring us together.”
O’Rourke said Eversole relied on his long-standing relationship with the administration of Waste Management, which has a facility in Precinct 4, to help put together a settlement.
“He really thought it was not in the interest of Waste Management or Harris County to be at each other’s throats,” O’Rourke said.
As hard as I’ve been on Jerry Eversole, I don’t have a problem with him applying for a pardon. It’s his right to do so, and if he really did help facilitate that agreement with Waste Management, then good on him for it. I wouldn’t consider his application to be high priority – I’d put everyone with a felony conviction for drug possession ahead of him – but sure, go ahead and ask. The world needs more pardons.