Chuck Thies is a D.C.-based political consultant.
A hung jury could not decide whether D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) committed bribery, but one outcome of his criminal trial answered a simpler question: He took the cash.
In a pretrial agreement with federal prosecutors, White acknowledged that he accepted cash from Allieu Kamara, a contractor who ran District-funded violence interruption programs as well as other social services. Kamara, an admitted felon, testified that he was working as an FBI informant in the summer of 2024 when, on at least four separate occasions, he handed envelopes stuffed with a total of $35,000 to White, who pocketed the funds. The exchange was captured on hidden camera, as were the conversations the men had about what the money was for, what White’s cut would be (3 percent of the value of the contracts Kamara sought) and the possibility of expanding the racket to mental health services, housing and more reliable revenue streams funded by federal tax dollars because, as White said, “You ain’t gotta keep waiting for it. …That shit ain’t going nowhere, bro. … That shit a cash cow.”
Neither the deadlocked jury nor the subsequent mistrial are tantamount to acquittal. White remains under indictment. Nonetheless, he has taken to social media and held a news conference to profess his innocence. He’s also mocked U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who said she will retry the case.
At the same time, nearly all of White’s colleagues on the D.C. Council have refused to say much of anything about the case, the trial or White. Two of them issued weak statements about trust, ethics, and the council’s reputation — word-salad tropes that failed to suggest any actions the council could take against White or consequences he should face.
Among the silent majority is presumptive mayor Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4). The mayor sets the tone for ethics enforcement across city government. Despite White’s facing bribery charges, Lewis George swore him in after he was reelected. What does that say about her commitment to upholding the integrity of District government?
The most important member, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D), briefly spoke with a reporter, had little to say and when asked to expound replied, “That’s the best you’re going to get out of me.”
But one thing Mendelson did say was alarming: “I don’t think the council will move at this time with expulsion.”
Think back: Not long after White was arrested on bribery charges in August 2024, Mendelson tasked the council with investigating White and determining if he should be reprimanded, censured or expelled. The council hired an outside law firm to investigate, held its own version of a trial and on Feb. 4, 2025, voted unanimously to expel White.
Five months later, White collected 28 percent of the vote in a low-turnout special election to fill his former seat. That was enough to return him to office.
At that time, White’s case was still mired in pretrial litigation, so neither council members nor voters had seen evidence that White actually accepted $35,000 from Kamara.
But at the federal trial that began Sept. 15 of this year, lengthy videos were played, transcripts were submitted into evidence and many more details emerged. We were told that White sought to expand the hustle and bragged to Kamara that, following his victory in a Democratic primary, he “got four more new years” ostensibly during which the money could flow.
The most damning revelation, of course, was White’s legal team admitting that he took the money.
White’s defense was this: Sure, he accepted cash-filled envelopes from Kamara, but as White himself defiantly declared after the mistrial, there was “never a quid pro quo.”
So we are to believe that White took the money with a clear understanding of what Kamara was paying for, but then did nothing in return. File that under “no honor among thieves” and include it with other evidence that demonstrates White should not be trusted, relied upon or considered fit to hold office.
Nonetheless, the D.C. Council for now has chosen to sit on its hands. What is the message to future council members, or even the current crop?
It’s this: Take the money.
White is on tape apparently lining his pockets with corrupt cash. The council’s inaction makes a mockery of the council itself. If he remains on the council for the next two-plus years, Trayon White will vote on legislation, taxes and spending while collecting a $171,000 salary. Even if he keeps his hands clean — call me a skeptic — the council’s willingness to leave him in office sets a dangerous precedent. And make no mistake, this is cowardice.
Remember what Mendelson said: “That’s the best you’re going to get out of me.”
Inaction. Silence.
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