A D.C. Council committee has voted to recommend expelling Ward 8 member Trayon White from the council.
The motion to expel White, who is facing a federal bribery charge, was adopted unanimously by the ad hoc committee. He’s accused of taking cash from a business owner in exchange for influencing government officials to renew contracts. The alleged transaction was caught on video.
In a statement, council Chair Phil Mendelson said the council’s report found “substantial evidence” that White broke the rules for council employees for taking bribes, calling his behavior “quintessential corruption.”
The 48-page report, put together by law firm Latham & Watkins, also stated there was not substantial evidence he violated residency requirements.
“There is only one remedy: to remove the corruption from our body,” Mendelson said. “This incident has damaged the public trust necessary for government to function well. Anything less than expulsion will not rectify the situation.”
Prior to the vote, White addressed the media before Monday’s committee meeting, saying there hasn’t been any “clear evidence” that he tried to bribe people. He added that over 20,000 people want him to represent them in the council after he won reelection in November.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told WTOP, “I think that the council has a job to do, and it did. And it did it expeditiously and following its rules. So, yes, I think they did what they had to do.”
Asked if she has a personal opinion on whether or not White should be expelled from the council, Bowser said she had “looked at the committee report over the weekend, and I think that the facts and the standards that they have for making a decision like this were met.”
In a statement provided to WTOP, D.C. Rep. Oye Owolewa said he’s witnessed the ongoing discussions around White’s case and noted the subsequent “loss in faith in our legal system, political leaders and the process in itself.”
“This legal matter potentially impacts our safety and the livelihoods of the most vulnerable. In addition, people who are already skeptical about our government are further dissuaded from civic engagement,” Owolewa wrote. “Lastly, following a possible expulsion, roughly 90,000 Ward 8 residents will be without a vote on legislation concerning our public safety, education and economy.”
He called on Ward 8 residents to work together through collective action “to be intentional about the betterment of our community.”
Council member and chair of the Ad Hoc Committee, Kenyan McDuffie, said in a statement that the council “had no other choice” than to make this decision.
“I am profoundly disappointed in the conduct of Trayon White, but the evidence is clear that, whether or not his actions rise to the level of a criminal conviction, they constitute a violation of the Council’s code of conduct and, more importantly, the public’s trust,” McDuffie said. “Residents depend on their elected officials to act with integrity and make thoughtful decisions that prioritize the community’s best interests.”
The full council will decide White’s political fate in January.
Though White has so far refused to cooperate with any council investigation into his alleged actions, he has 45 days to respond to the committee’s recommendations and report.
He pleaded not guilty to the allegations in September.
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