DC councilmember known for pushing antisemitic conspiracy theories is arrested on bribery charge

WASHINGTON (AP) — A District of Columbia councilmember known for promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories accepted over $150,000 in bribes in exchange for pressuring D.C. employees to extend city contracts for violence intervention services, authorities alleged in court records unsealed Monday.

Trayon White Sr., a Democrat who ran an unsuccessful mayoral campaign in 2022, was arrested Sunday on a federal bribery charge and released from custody after a brief court appearance Monday. His attorney declined to comment on the allegations against him.

White agreed in June to accept roughly $156,000 in kickbacks and cash payments in exchange for pressuring government agency employees to extend two companies’ contracts worth over $5 million, prosecutors said.

Authorities say they have secretly recorded conversations between White and an FBI informant who gave White $35,000 in cash on four occasions between June and August. A photo included in court papers shows White stuffing what the FBI says is an envelope filled with $15,000 in cash in his jacket pocket.

The informant — who operated businesses that contracted with the D.C. government — also reported giving White gifts including travel to the Dominican Republic and Las Vegas along with paying him bribes, the FBI said. The informant agreed to cooperate with the FBI as part of an agreement to plead guilty to fraud and bribery charges .

In one secretly recorded meeting detailed in court papers, authorities say the informant gave White $5,000 in cash and told the councilmember that the money was in exchange for reaching out to two government employees. White responded: “I am on top of all of that. … Once you and I lock eyes and gets to an understanding, I gets to work. I can start making some (expletive) happen.”

The informant told authorities that White, 40, also accepted a $20,000 bribe payment to help resolve a contract dispute for one of the companies by pressuring high-level district officials, the affidavit alleges,

White’s chief of staff and spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

White put his hand to his heart as he entered the courtroom and acknowledged his supporters who attended the hearing. One supporter held her hand to her mouth and sobbed from the gallery. The magistrate judge warned White he could be jailed before trial if he violates any conditions of his release.

White didn’t stop to speak to reporters as he left the courthouse and headed to a waiting vehicle. His supporters shouted, “We love you, Trayon!” and “Ward 8!” as he departed.

White, who has served on the D.C. council since 2017, represents a predominantly Black ward where the poverty rate is nearly twice as high as the overall district. He is running for re-election in November against a Republican challenger.

White was one of two D.C. council members whom Mayor Muriel Bower defeated two years ago in the Democratic primary. White, a former grassroots community activist, was a protégé of former Mayor Marion Barry, who also represented the same ward as White on the council.

In March 2018, White posted a video on his Facebook page claiming that an unexpected snowfall was because of “the Rothschilds controlling the climate to create natural disasters.” The Rothschilds, a Jewish family that was prominent in the banking industry, are a frequent subject of conspiracy theories.

At the time, White said he was unaware that the weather-related conspiracy theory is antisemitic. A video later surfaced of White pushing a similar conspiracy theory during a meeting of top city officials. He posed a question based on the stereotypical premise that the Rothschilds controlled the World Bank and the federal government.

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Associated Press writer Ashraf Khalil contributed to this report.