Democratic council member Trayon White was taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Sunday afternoon, according to D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson’s confirmation.
Mendelson stated to the local media Fox 5 that he does not currently know why White was arrested. He is still awaiting word on the charges and the location of White’s arrest. The council president went on to say that Mr. White was arrested at approximately 2:00 p.m. and he was shocked since he didn’t know that Mr. White was the subject of an ongoing inquiry.
“I’m anxious to get more details to understand what the situation is,” Mendelson told FOX 5. “You all know as much as I know.”
Earlier this year, White—who has represented Ward 8 since 2016—was the focus of controversy after he and his campaign treasurer were fined $20,000 by the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance.
The Washington Informer reported that in addition to the fine, White allegedly owed nearly $59,000 in public funds obtained through the D.C. Fair Elections Program. This program was established with the goal of offering “public financing for campaigns, requires rigorous auditing and reporting.”
In recent years, White has dealt with a number of other campaign financing difficulties. White’s campaigns have been marked for many instances of noncompliance with city ordinance due to insufficient finance records throughout the last two election cycles, during which he unsuccessfully ran for mayor, according to the Washington Informer.
“In the absence of a complete list of financial records and documentation necessary to fully conduct the Audit, the Audit Staff cannot exhaustively substantiate the information contained in the Trayon White for Mayor 2022 Reports of Receipts and Expenditures,” reads an audit of White’s campaign finances.
This is a developing story.
