On February 4, the DC Council unanimously voted to expel Ward 8 Representative Trayon White following a bribery charge. This was the first time in 50 years the DC Council has expelled a council member.
White served two terms as the Ward 8 representative on the DC Council and was elected for a third. White also ran for mayor in 2022. He was a protégé of former Mayor Marrion Barry, who similarly went through an arrest scandal. Barry helped White gain reelection for his seat on the Board of Education, and White took Barry’s seat on the council after he died.
White was a very popular leader within his ward and personally appeared at many events, including crime scenes, funerals, and barbeques. He used to hold annual back-to-school events where he gave out backpacks filled with school supplies.
On August 18, 2024, White was arrested for a criminal complaint and charged with bribery. White allegedly agreed to accept $156,000 in bribes to use his position to pressure government employees to extend violence intervention contracts, worth $5.2 million. White pleaded not guilty, but his trial won’t take place until January 2026. Prosecutors have asked for a July 2025 trial date, but US Attorney Matthew Graves’ office said they need the time to prepare.
In four secretly recorded meetings from June 28 to August 9, 2024, an FBI informant, who the Washington Post identified as Allieu Kamara, gave White envelopes filled with cash in exchange for White renewing contracts for Kamara’s company. Kamara was the founder of Life Deeds, a city contractor that serves vulnerable people in DC.
Life Deeds relied on contracts with DC to help care for high risk youth and adults, such as grants and violence intervention teams. Previously, Kamara pleaded guilty to bribing a contract specialist in the Child and Family Services Agency. As part of the deal, Kamara agreed to help federal authorities with other unspecified investigations, most likely including this one. In less than two months, the FBI had recorded $35,000 in exchange, which was enough to get an arrest warrant.
Following his arrest, the DC Council created an ad hoc committee to investigate White. The temporary committee would recommend the council to either reprimand, publicly disapprove of, or expel White. This was separate from the criminal investigation and was the first step in the process of expelling White. The committee looked into his bribery charges, along with the speculation that he resided outside of the district he was representing. Latham & Watkins, the law firm that put together the report on White, concluded that there was substantial evidence that he was involved in bribery, but not for violating the council’s residency requirement.
A few months later, White won reelection for his Ward 8 seat in November. During his reelection speech, White apologized: “As a public servant, we have a duty to our city. This morning, I want to say that I apologize to my city, and I love my city.” He did not specify what he was apologizing for.
Following his reelection in February, the council unanimously voted to expel White in less than a minute. A special election for his council seat will take place in early spring or summer. White is still eligible to run for the seat as only convicted felons are prohibited and his trial date is after the election. So far, White hasn’t expressed his intent to run in the special election. If White runs and wins, the DC Council would have the option to expel him again.
