As Ward 8 D.C. Council member Trayon White’s federal bribery trial continues in the District, fellow council members are weighing how they might respond once a verdict is reached.
“I’m just not going to speculate on what we might do,” Council Chair Phil Mendelson said, adding that members are following the case closely.
“If the question is considered to think about … members think about this stuff all the time. I think about it all the time.”
The D.C. Council unanimously voted in February 2025 to expel White over ethics violations. But Ward 8 voters returned him to office in a July special election, and he has continued serving while his criminal case proceeds.
Under D.C. law, a council member convicted of a felony while in office must give up their seat because they no longer qualify to serve. A felony charge alone does not trigger removal.
If White is acquitted, the council could still vote to expel him again through its own disciplinary process.
“I don’t know what the council is going to do,” Mendelson said. “I don’t know what other members are going to propose. I don’t know what I’m going to propose.”
Council members have split over whether Ward 8 voters should determine White’s future or whether the council has a responsibility to protect the body’s ethical standards.
White is charged with accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for influencing city contracts. Federal prosecutors allege he accepted more than $150,000 in kickbacks and that one transaction was captured on video. White has denied the allegations.
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