The D.C. Council voted unanimously Tuesday to expel Councilman Trayon White from office, making the Ward 8 Democrat the first lawmaker in modern history to be removed from the city’s legislative body as evidence related to his federal bribery case became an obstacle for trust among his colleagues.

Chairman Phil Mendelson moved for the vote after council members expressed concern over how Mr. White damaged the council’s integrity when he allegedly agreed to pocket up to $156,000 in exchange for influencing government contracts.

The councilman retreated from the council chambers into his office shortly after the expulsion vote.

Mr. White, 40, was arrested by FBI agents in August on federal bribery charges. A criminal complaint used video and audio recordings to allegedly show the councilman pocketing $35,000 in cash while meeting with an FBI informant. 

In exchange for taking the cash, Mr. White is accused of agreeing to steer the city’s lucrative anti-violence grants to his preferred contractors.     

Mr. White pleaded not guilty to the charges last fall. He is scheduled to go to trial in January 2026.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.