DC councilman known for antisemitic conspiracy theories arrested on bribery charge

A Washington, DC, councilmember known for promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories has been arrested on charges that he accepted over $150,000 in bribes in exchange for using his elected position to help companies with city contracts, according to court records unsealed today.

Trayon White Sr., a Democrat who ran an unsuccessful mayoral campaign in 2022, was arrested on a federal bribery charge by the FBI yesterday. He is expected to make his initial court appearance today.

An FBI agent’s affidavit says 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 for violence intervention services. The contacts were worth over $5 million.

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.

In 2018, White was the subject of significant backlash after posting a video saying that there is a “model based off the Rothschilds controlling the climate to create natural disasters.” He was nevertheless reelected two days later, and is up for reelection again this year.