D.C. Council ad hoc committee votes for expelling Trayon White amid federal bribery case

A D.C. Council ad hoc committee voted unanimously Monday for expelling council member Trayon White after an independent investigation determined the Ward 8 Democrat took thousands of dollars in bribes to influence city government contracts.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, at-large Democrat, said the full legislative body will vote on expelling Mr. White late next month. Eleven of the 13-member council must back his ouster for him to be removed.

Mr. White will have a chance to defend himself before his colleagues formally weigh in. He is facing federal charges on the bribery accusations and will go to trial in 2026.

“Let’s cut through the legal jargon. Trayon White is accused of taking bribes,” Mr. Mendelson said Monday in a statement. “The prosecutors have established probable cause, our own independent investigation found substantial evidence that he took bribes, and public servants are prohibited from taking bribes. This is quintessential corruption.”

The chairman’s statement went on to describe expulsion as the only remedy to root out corruption. “Anything less than expulsion will not rectify the situation,” Mr. Mendelson said.

The FBI arrested Mr. White in August after he was accused of agreeing to take $156,000 in bribes to steer contracts toward his preferred company.

Charging documents said Mr. White, 40, was caught taking $35,000 in cash-stuffed envelopes from an FBI informant over the summer.

Those interactions were documented by photos and audio recordings that allegedly show Mr. White pocketing the bribes and agreeing to pressure city employees over how they award violence prevention grants.

The independent investigation, commissioned by the D.C. Council, found “substantial evidence” that Mr. White was involved in the bribery scheme. The investigation based its findings on the federal affidavit, which have yet to be proven in a court of law.

Investigators also determined that Mr. White met with employees at the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. He oversaw the latter agency in his committee leadership position on the council.

During the meetings, investigators said Mr. White did not offer the government employees anything of value, either in exchange for his work selecting certain grantees or otherwise.

“There has been no clear evidence, in all these interviews, that I tried to bribe them,” Mr. White said in a statement before the ad hoc committee convened.

The lawmaker noted that he was reelected last month to a third term in office with an overwhelming 84% of the vote. The city’s political scene is run almost entirely by Democrats.

If Mr. White is removed from office next month, a special election would be held to fill his seat.

Mr. White’s federal trial on the bribery charges is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2026.