DC Council

Trayon White's attorney argues DC Council can't expel him

The D.C. Council is one step closer to removing Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, who faces a federal bribery charge

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The council is a step closer to removing White. News4’s Mark Segraves explains why his attorney says White can’t be expelled.

The attorney for D.C. Councilmember Trayon White argued a procedural issue should keep the council from removing him.

White appeared before the council Tuesday alongside his attorney, Fred Cooke.

White showed up to the hearing in a black t-shirt with large white letters reading, "The FBI killed Fred Hampton" — a reference to the killing of the Black Panther Party leader who was killed by Chicago police in 1969.

FBI agents arrested White last August and charged him with bribery. Prosecutors said he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for pressuring government officials to extend contracts dedicated to violence prevention and youth services.

In one week, the council is expected to take a final vote on whether to expel White.

Tuesday's hearing was White's opportunity to provide a defense before the council votes.

"On behalf of of Councilmember Trayon White Sr. we, he denies those charges and specifications," Cooke told the council.

Cooke has a long history of representing D.C. officials charged with crimes, including former mayor Marion Barry and former council chair Kwame Brown.

Rather than challenge the charges against White, Cooke took aim at the process. He argued that because procedures to remove White began in 2024 and because the council didn't rely on a D.C. government-lead investigation, "The measure, therefore, remains lapsed."

"The rules of each council period provide that measures undertaken during that council period have to be reintroduced, otherwise they lapse," Cooke said.

"Further, I believe that this expulsion process violates both the Home Rule Act and the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability Establishment and Comprehensive Ethics Reform Amendment Act of 2011," Cooke said.

Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, chair of the Ad-Hoc Committee, disputed Cooke's argument.

"As you acknowledged you are occasionally wrong, Mr. Cooke. I know you're a well seasoned lawyer and I think on a very important point relevant to this proceeding you are wrong," McDuffie said.

For the first time since being charged with taking a bribe, D.C. Councilmember Trayon White has publicly apologized -- during his swearing-in ceremony for another term on the Council. News4's Mark Segraves reports.

White did not testify during the hearing and declined any questions from reporters on his way out.

White is accused of agreeing to accept $156,000 in exchange for using his position to pressure employees of the D.C. Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) and the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) to extend several contracts, prosecutors said. White was the chair of a D.C. Council committee that oversees several agencies, including DYRS.

White received $35,000 in four cash payments in the alleged scheme, court documents say.

The Council hired the law firm Latham & Watkins LLP to do an independent investigation into the bribery allegations and concerns about White’s residency.

The firm's 48-page report concluded there was "substantial evidence that Councilmember Trayon White engaged in conduct that violated several provisions of the D.C. Code of Conduct, including multiple rules within the D.C. Council’s Code of Official Conduct, with respect to the bribery allegations,” McDuffie previously said in a statement.

The report outlined evidence that suggests White violated several rules, including measures that bar Council members from accepting gifts from prohibited sources and using their position unethically.

His criminal trial is expected to begin in 2026.

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