DC Council Chair describes ‘awkward’ process working to expel colleague
Following a D.C. Council hearing Tuesday, where the topic of whether Council member Trayon White should be expelled was front and center, Chairman Phil Mendelson described the difficult nature of the work he and his colleagues have been doing.
“The whole process has been awkward,” Mendelson said. “It’s not pleasant for the council to have to discipline a colleague.”
White, who is charged with a federal count of bribery, sat in front of his colleagues as he heard evidence against him and had the chance to defend himself. Instead of speaking for himself, he was represented by attorney Fred Cooke.
Cooke argued the whole process to expel White was rushed and “defective,” claiming no lawmaker should be expelled before actually being convicted of a crime.
At one point, Cooke engaged in an uncomfortable exchange with Council member Kenyan McDuffie as McDuffie pressed Cooke on why White was not speaking himself.
Cooke said the question was “inappropriate” and that White was not under any obligation to speak.
When McDuffie asked Cooke if he ever personally witnessed White accept bribes, Cooke responded by saying he would not answer the question “on the grounds that the answer might tend to incriminate me.”
White was arrested by the FBI last August and charged with bribery, accused of accepting cash in exchange for using his position as a council member to influence city government contracts.
Prosecutors said White accepted $35,000 in cash and thought he would be getting tens of thousands more for agreeing to ask officials at the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services and the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement to extend violence intervention contracts.
White allegedly made the deal with the head of two companies that had contracts with D.C. The head of the companies had been working as an FBI informant after pleading guilty in a separate case to fraud and bribery, according to prosecutors.
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White pleaded not guilty, and his jury trial was scheduled for January of 2026.
“Trust is a delicate thing, and it’s easy to lose it, unfortunately, and it’s hard to regain it,” Mendelson said. “Residents, overwhelmingly across the city, want to see an ethical council, and they want to see us act decisively.”
A vote on whether to expel White is expected to happen next week on Tuesday. If 11 of the 13 council members vote to expel, then he would be immediately kicked off the council.
Mendelson predicted that would happen easily, saying he hasn’t heard any council members say they intend to vote against it.
“Well, I don’t see it changing from what the ad hoc committee voted,” he said, referring to the council’s December vote to expel White.
There would need to be a special election held in the near future to replace White if he is expelled, but, theoretically, White could run in that election to try to get his seat back.
“Under existing D.C. law, there’s no legal prohibition on a member of the council who had been expelled for whatever reason, preventing them from running as a candidate in a special election for the very seat that they had just been expelled from,” said Zach Israel, a former ANC commissioner and an expert on D.C. law.
If White were to be convicted of a felony as a result of his court case, however, he would be expelled for good, as people convicted of a felony are disqualified from serving on the council.
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