Former Washington, DC, Councilmember Trayon White, who was expelled from his Ward 8 seat on the Council of the District of Columbia earlier this year, was elected once again on Tuesday, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The local Democrat politician was arrested by the FBI in August 2024 on a federal bribery charge, which sparked an internal investigation and the remaining 12 D.C. Council members to unanimously vote to oust him from his seat in February.
White, however, was allowed to run for his seat again in a special election, because he had not been convicted of a felony.
On Tuesday, White defeated three challengers — Mike Austin, Sheila Bunn, and Salim Adofo — in a special election for the Ward 8 council seat, which had been vacant since his ousting earlier this year.
“So, we sent a message loud and clear to D.C. City Council that Trayon White is here to stay,” White boasted in his victory speech.
Notably, just around 12 percent of local voters turned out for the special election, according to a report by Axios.
Now, White will go back to representing Ward 8 on the Council of the District of Columbia as he prepares for his looming trial, which is set to begin in January 2026.
Preliminary evidence, meanwhile, features video footage of White “pocketing cash-stuffed envelopes from a city contractor, allegedly in return for securing lucrative city contracts,” the Associated Press noted.
White’s D.C. Council colleagues are now reportedly mulling over whether to expel him again or simply carry on legislating alongside the embattled politician while they wait for his federal corruption trial to play out.
“Bribery of elected officials is quintessential corruption,” Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said in February. “Trust is precious. Trust is critical for an elected government, and we must act.”
White, who has pled not guilty to the bribery charges, is accused of agreeing to accept $156,000 in cash payments in exchange for using his position on the D.C. Council to pressure government employees to extend multiple city contracts, the Daily Caller reported.
The contracts were reportedly worth $5.2 million and were connected to two companies offering violence intervention services in Washington, DC.
Footage allegedly shows White meeting with a “confidential human source” and putting an envelope containing $15,000 in cash into his jacket pocket after the source handed it to him, according to an arrest affidavit from the FBI’s D.C. Field Office.
“Because the investigation into the alleged bribery scheme involved contracts that could soon be awarded and other potential official acts that could be taken, our Office took swift steps to address the alleged crimes we were investigating,” U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves said.
In 2018, White was also accused of making antisemitic remarks after he suggested Jewish bankers have secretly been controlling the weather. He has also been questioned about his alleged ties to the Nation of Islam after he gave the organization $500 through a fund designated for community services.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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