Who is Trayon White? A look at the DC Councilmember arrested on bribery charges

WASHINGTON - D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson confirmed Sunday that Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White was arrested by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Sunday afternoon on bribery charges, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Beginning in June 2024, White allegedly agreed to accept $156,000 in cash payments in exchange for using his position as a D.C. Councilmember to pressure government employees at Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) and DYRS to extend several D.C. contracts.

Mendelson told FOX 5 on Sunday that he did not know that White was even being investigated and is still waiting to learn more about the charges.

"I'm anxious to get more details to understand what the situation is," Mendelson told FOX 5. "You all know as much as I know." 

Campaign-related fines

In March, reports emerged that the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance levied a $20,000 fine against White and his campaign treasurer. 

On top of that, OCF said White owed nearly $59,000 in public funds he received through D.C.’s Fair Elections Program, a relatively new program where candidates can be eligible for some public financing. 

White has utilized the Fair Elections Program in the last two election cycles, including his 2022 mayoral campaign. OCF has noted some issues with the reporting. 

Since 2020, White’s campaign has had to file several amended reports with OCF. In a subsequent civil filing, White said he was unaware of these issues, and seemed to lay much of the blame on that campaign’s treasurer. 

The treasurer spoke to FOX 5 back in March, and she said that all the requirements were a lot and she’s worked to remedy the situation.

FOX 5 was able to ask White about the missing $59,000 in campaign funds in March. White said at the time he was working with his attorney and his accountant to try and figure out exactly what happened. 

Jewish conspiracy theory controversy

In 2018, White ignited a firestorm by posting a short video on his Facebook page claiming that an unexpected snowfall was because of "the Rothschilds controlling the climate to create natural disasters."

Fellow council members and Jewish community leaders accused White of spreading an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about Jewish control of world events. The Rothschilds, a prominent Jewish family whose banking dynasty dates back to the 18th century, are a frequent target of global conspiracy theories.

White at the time said he was unaware the Rothschild theory could be construed as anti-Semitic. The first-term African-American council member reached out to try to mend fences.

He attended a Passover Seder and met with Jewish community leaders for breakfast over bagels and lox. He went on a guided tour of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum but abruptly left halfway through without explanation.

Then video surfaced from a meeting of top city officials that showed White floating a similar conspiracy during an innocuous presentation about the University of the District of Columbia. White posed a question centered on the claim that the Rothschilds controlled both the World Bank and the federal government.

The video shows city leaders in the room, including Mayor Muriel Bowser, awkwardly laughing it off and moving on, but the footage further upset Jewish community leaders.

Then a further revelation: White had contributed $500 from a fund meant for his Ward 8 constituents to a Chicago event for Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam.

Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam have a decades-old history of overtly anti-Semitic rhetoric. The Nation of Islam also does significant social and charitable work in black communities and retains some respect among those who don’t share its views.

"I sincerely think he was just repeating conspiracy theories he had heard somewhere," said Rabbi Batya Glazer, who had met with White on the issue. "It does mean he has an obligation to clarify what his position is."

Ties to Marion Barry

Marion Barry, the late former mayor of the District of Columbia, endorsed White in both the 2011 Board of Education special election and the 2012 general election. White has long been considered one of Barry's proteges. 

Barry served four terms as the mayor of the District of Columbia and 16 years on the city council before he passed away in Nov. 2014 at the age of 78. He's known as D.C.'s "Mayor for Life," and faced his own share of scandal from his 1990 arrest after being caught on videotape smoking crack cocaine.

"I'm not Marion Barry, I'm Trayon White. And I want to be everything God created me to be," White said in an interview with FOX 5 in 2016. "I think we're in a great place that brings that energy that Marion Barry had, that people believe in me, trust me and are behind me." 

Barry served as the Ward 8 Councilmember until his death in 2014 – after which White ran twice for the seat and won on his second attempt. While Barry was a D.C. transplant, White is from Ward 8 and has been outspoken throughout his time in office on violent crime in his community. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.