The D.C. Council voted to expel councilmember Trayon White after he was charged by the Justice Department for agreeing to take bribes.
The D.C. Council voted to expel councilmember Trayon White on Tuesday after he was accused last year by federal authorities of agreeing to accept $156,000 in bribes.
The legislative body’s 12 other members voted unanimously to remove White from his position. Following the vote, White was seen on video ignoring questions from reporters as he walked out of the meeting room.
Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, a Democrat, said the vote today was “not easy” and represents a “very challenging situation” for the ward that White represents, but ultimately, he said, it is the right move for the city.
“Trust is precious, trust is critical for an elected government, and we must act,” Council Chairman Phil Mendelson added.
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Despite being expelled, White remains eligible to run in a special election that will now be held for his vacant seat, according to WUSA 9.
The Justice Department, citing a criminal complaint charging White with bribery, alleged that “beginning in June 2024, White corruptly agreed to accept $156,000 in cash payments in exchange for using his position as a D.C. Councilmember to pressure government employees at [the] Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and [the] D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services to extend several D.C. contracts.”
White, who has pleaded not guilty to those allegations, reportedly faces up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted. A jury trial in the case is set for January 2026.
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“Councilmember White betrayed the trust of his staff, the council, the agencies and, above all, the residents of Ward 8,” McDuffie said at a hearing last week ahead of the expulsion vote.
In December, Mendelson called White’s alleged behavior “quintessential corruption.”
“There is only one remedy: to remove the corruption from our body,” he added at the time. “This incident has damaged the public trust necessary for government to function well.”
In November, White easily won re-election to his seat.
“I am humbled. I don’t know what’s ahead, but I know God is good and his mercy endures forever,” White told WJLA earlier this week.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
