The D.C. City Council voted Feb. 4 to expel Trayon White (D-Ward 8) after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) charged White with one count of bribery.
An investigation conducted by the D.C. Council found substantial evidence that White had engaged in actions that violated the council’s code of official conduct. The council voted unanimously to expel White, marking the first time a councilmember has been expelled since its creation in 1973.
White allegedly accepted approximately $156,000 in cash bribes in exchange for influencing city contracts with companies that offer gun violence intervention services. The FBI charged White with one count of bribery last August, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
The investigation found that White had not violated the council’s residential code — which requires that a member live in the ward which they represent — after the FBI arrested him at a Navy Yard residence in Ward 6.
Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto (LAW ’17) said it is important to hold public officials accountable for their actions.
“District residents deserve honest and ethical leadership across our government, and these developments highlight the importance of integrity and accountability for all our public officials,” Pinto wrote to The Hoya. “This is a somber day for our city, and I appreciate the service of Councilmember Trayon White to the residents of Ward 8 and hope we are all recommitted to holding ourselves and one another to the highest degree of integrity.”
White ran a reelection campaign in November 2024 after his indictment and won over 80% of the vote. He is still eligible to run in the upcoming special election to fill his former council seat.
Joe Massaua (SFS ’25), the former Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for 2E04, the south side of the Georgetown University campus, said he does not think White should be reelected.
“I think it should be pretty slam dunk that you shouldn’t be nominating an alleged criminal,” Massaua told The Hoya.
Before the council’s Feb. 4 vote, Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (I-At Large) said it was the duty of the council to act on the expulsion.
“We — not only as individuals but as a collective — must ensure that all who serve on this body uphold the public trust,” McDuffie said at the meeting. “When that trust is broken, we cannot leave disciplinary action to some other body — we must act.”
In a Jan. 28 hearing in front of the council, Frederick D. Cooke, Jr., White’s attorney, argued that the council’s disciplinary proceedings violated his client’s rights by allegedly denying White the right to defend himself in a court of law.
Following the December 2024 recommendation to expel him, White said he was committed to his constituents.
“Just last month, over 20,000 people in Ward 8 decided that they wanted me to be their councilmember, so we’re sticking to that,” White said to members of the press. “We want the council to do what’s in their rights to do. We accept that. We want to continue to stay unified as a community, as a city, but I know the council has a job to do.”
Massaua said he supports the council’s decision to expel White.
“I see that there is an argument to be made, but I don’t buy into it,” Massaua said. “I think that it’s warranted, just for the alleged actions that he’s done, and for his general refusal to take responsibility for them.”
