ICYMI **D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr., who has represented Ward 8 since 2016, was indicted by a federal grand jury on bribery charges.**
The indictment stems from an incident where White allegedly accepted $156,000 in cash payments from a local business owner in exchange for influencing the renewal of violence-interruption contracts valued at $5.2 million with the D.C. government.
Court documents describe a June meeting where White received $15,000 in cash while discussing contract extensions, despite expressing hesitation.
White faces an arraignment hearing on September 12 and remains on the November ballot, although D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has announced plans to remove him from his committee chairmanship when the council resumes work.
White’s opponents in the upcoming election include Republican Nate Derenge and Democrat Markus Batchelor, who recently launched a write-in campaign for the Ward 8 seat.