D.C. City Councilmember Trayon White was charged with bribery for allegedly agreeing to accept tens of thousands of dollars in undisclosed kickbacks and cash payments, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia’s office announced Monday.
The lawmaker, who suggested in 2018 Jewish bankers control the weather, was arrested Sunday for allegedly agreeing to accept $156,000 in bribes in exchange for pressuring officials at the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) and the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) to extend several lucrative government contracts for violence prevention programs, according to an arrest affidavit from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office. As of the time of his arrest, White had allegedly received four cash payments totaling $35,000 from a confidential source, with the FBI capturing video of the source explaining to White how his cut of the contracts was calculated.
“What you need me to do, man? I don’t, I don’t wanna feel like you gotta gimme something to get something. We better than that,” White told the confidential source when offered an envelope with $15,000 cash, according to the affidavit.
Accused Ward 8 DC city councilmen Trayvon White emerges from the DC Federal Courthouse a day after he was arrested by the FBI for allegedly taking $156,000 in bribes. pic.twitter.com/ZhuCMuKqwS
— Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) August 19, 2024
The contracts, which were for two companies, were valued at $5.2 million, according to the press release. White allegedly agreed to accept 3% of the contract value.
Prior to the cash bribes, the FBI alleges White accepted trips to the Dominican Republic and Las Vegas, Nevada from the confidential source, according to the affidavit.
“Because the investigation into the alleged bribery scheme involved contracts that could soon be awarded and other potential official acts that could be taken, our Office took swift steps to address the alleged crimes we were investigating,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves said in the press release.
White posted a video to Facebook in 2018 reacting to a snowfall in Washington D.C. in which he suggested Jewish bankers controlled the weather.
“Man, it just started snowing out of nowhere this morning, man. Y’all better pay attention to this climate control, man, this climate manipulation,” White said in the video. “And D.C. keep talking about, ‘We a resilient city.’ And that’s a model based off the Rothschilds controlling the climate to create natural disasters they can pay for to own the cities, man. Be careful.”
That same year, White donated $500 to a Nation of Islam event where Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the organization, described Jews as his “enemies.”
White is due back in court on September 19, NBC Washington reported.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office declined to comment. Trayon White’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
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