On the first day the D.C. Council was back in session following the arrest and indictment of Council member Trayon White, the Ward 8 lawmaker chose to attend the day’s meetings over Zoom instead of in-person.
One of the first things the council did Tuesday morning was announce the creation of an ad hoc committee that will investigate White, separate from the criminal investigation being conducted against the council member. The committee is made up of the entire D.C. Council except for White, and will be led by At-large member Kenyan McDuffie.
“This isn’t the first time, sadly, that I’ve had to be a part of an ad hoc committee on the Council of the District of Columbia,” said McDuffie. “We intend to make sure that we can disclose as much information as humanly possible, while preserving the integrity of the ad hoc committee’s investigation.”
The council also voted to dissolve the Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs and remove White as chairman. The two new subcommittees in its place — on Recreation and Community Affairs and a second on Libraries and Youth Affairs — will be chaired by Ward 3 Councilman Matt Frumin and Ward 5 Councilman Zachary Parker, respectively.
In a statement released Tuesday, Council member Parker said he is committed to creating new efforts that support the city’s young people through rehabilitation and “addressing residents’ concerns around” supporting D.C. libraries as a “vital ‘third space.'”
Under the council’s rules, the ad hoc committee has 90 days to come up with a report and recommendations about White. Expelling White, who is up for reelection in November, is on the docket ahead of the Dec. 16 deadline.
“What that means is you can expect a report within that 90-day timeline. It doesn’t mean that it necessarily takes 90 days to produce it,” said McDuffie. “We are charged under the chairman’s memo to look at the allegations around bribery and residency, and we are charged with policing the conduct of our colleagues.”
The council voted to authorize hiring the law firm of Latham & Watkins to help conduct the investigation, 7News reported. Up to $400,000 in taxpayer funds are currently allocated for the investigation.
“We are acting as expeditiously as possible, understanding that this is an investigation and there will be perhaps a need to invite witnesses in, to speak to others, to use subpoena authority,” said McDuffie. “Who knows what is going to be encompassed in this investigation? So I want to caution people about what they should expect within that 90 days.”
It’s not clear if White will cooperate with the probe.
White has been accused of agreeing to accept $156,000 in cash payments from a business owner in exchange for his help renewing their companies’ violence-interruption contracts with the D.C. government. White pleaded not guilty to a bribery charge in the U.S. District Court last week.
In a news conference on Monday, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said White’s charges are “serious and damning.” Mendelson said he has not spoken to White since his arrest nearly a month ago, but has reached out to him.
“The reality is we know that a person is presumed innocent until proven beyond a reasonable doubt or there is some sort of plea bargain,” Mendelson said. “So that is how we have to view our colleague, but we are moving forward with the disciplinary process that the rules provide.”
However, Mendelson pointed out White will still have voting power.
“Our rules are clear: If we want to expel a member, we have to go through a process which includes the ad hoc committee,” he said.
WTOP’s Ciara Wells contributed to this report.
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