Washington, D.C., councilman Trayon White is facing potential expulsion after an investigative report revealed multiple violations of city code of conduct provisions. Despite being arrested by the FBI on a federal bribery charge in August, White, a Democrat representing Ward 8, recently won a third term in a landslide victory on Election Day.
The report, conducted by the law firm Latham & Watkins LLP and commissioned by an ad hoc committee, was submitted to the council on Monday. The investigation aimed to determine whether White breached D.C. law, the D.C. Code of Conduct, or Council Rules. The council is scheduled to convene next Monday to review the findings and deliberate on potential sanctions against White.
White has pleaded not guilty to allegations of accepting $156,000 in cash payments in exchange for leveraging his position to influence government employees at the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) and Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) to extend D.C. contracts valued at $5.2 million for violence intervention services.
Councilman Kenyan McDuffie, chair of the ad hoc committee, stated that the investigation uncovered 'substantial evidence' linking White's actions to violations of the D.C. Council’s Code of Official Conduct. However, the report did not find evidence of White violating residency requirements outlined in the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973.
The investigation, spanning 11 weeks, involved 22 interviews with officials from various D.C. agencies, White's current and former staff members, violence intervention community leaders, and other relevant individuals. Additionally, the law firm reviewed numerous documents and thousands of emails from White and his staff's official accounts.
White has declined to comment publicly on the report's findings, and the council is set to deliberate on the matter in the upcoming meeting.
