Washington, D.C., City Councilmember Trayon White is facing potential expulsion from city leadership amid an ongoing corruption trial on alleged bribery charges.
The FBI arrested White in August 2024, alleging that he took over $150,000 in bribes to influence the city’s contracting. While the trial has yet to begin, the FBI revealed evidence showing White accepting envelopes full of cash from a bureau informant. The city council will vote on White’s expulsion later Tuesday.
“This is quintessential corruption,” Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said in a December statement. “There is only one remedy: to remove the corruption from our body. This incident has damaged the public trust necessary for government to function well.”
Despite the charges and evidence leveled against him, White was re-elected to the city council in November, just three months after his arrest. His federal trial is set to begin in January 2026. He has pleaded not guilty.
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Councilmember Trayon White speaks to the media following the City Council Ad Hoc Committee voting to recommend him for expulsion amid bribery allegations in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 16, 2024. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“I feel confident that the people of Ward 8 have spoken. I feel like I’m going to win by a landslide but I’m still humbled and prayerful. I hope [it] sends a loud message to the D.C. Council about keeping the decisions in the hands of the people.” White told WJLA on Election Day after results made it clear he would win.
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White’s expulsion would require a unanimous vote of the 11 other members of the city council, and public statements from councilmembers don’t look good for White.
D.C. Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, Sr. speaks at a ribbon cutting ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 21, 2024. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“Councilmember White betrayed the trust of his staff, the council, the agencies and, above all, the residents of Ward 8,” Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, a Democrat, said at a preliminary hearing last week.
Mendelson, also a Democrat, echoed McDuffie’s skepticism in a statement.
“The public [has to] have trust in the government, they have to have trust in the legislature, they have to have trust in those who are elected,” he said.
A photo from court documents shows Trayon White Sr. receiving an envelope containing a payment of $5,000. (US Department of Justice)
Other members expressed hope that White would resign before the council is forced to take action.
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“I wish he would resign,” said Councilmember Robert C. White Jr., also a Democrat, according to the Washington Post. “If you broke the council rules, and you know you broke the council rules, to put the council through this is something to think about.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
