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Surprise surprise, the D.C. Council’s three-month-long, $400,000 investigation of Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White didn’t turn up much of anything new about his bribery scandal. But the release of a report on its findings is nonetheless an important step in determining White’s political future.
The law firm hired to re-investigate White, Latham and Watkins LLP, wasn’t able to find anything much more damning than the substantial evidence already turned up against White by the FBI this summer. The report, released Wednesday, concludes that there is “substantial evidence” the recently re-elected lawmaker violated the Council’s rules of conduct by accepting $35,000 in gifts from a person with city contracts (acting as an FBI informant) and pledging to use his influence to help that person win or maintain D.C. business.
White never agreed to speak to the firm’s investigators, and he has generally avoided saying much of anything in his defense beyond vague denials, so the report broadly relies on the materials filed by the feds in court. That includes video footage of White accepting cash from an informant and an extensive collection of messages about the scheme to use his position for monetary gain.
Crucially, the Latham and Watkins investigators also found additional evidence (via White’s email and phone records) that he repeatedly met with officials at the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services and the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, the two agencies where the FBI’s informant requested White’s help winning grants and contracts. In speaking with multiple officials at both departments, the law firm determined that White “explicitly inquired regarding grant awards and the status of [the informant’s] organizations specifically,” which strengthens the feds’ case that he used the powers of his office to assist the person offering him cash.
Most egregiously, the report notes that although White had oversight of DYRS and ONSE through his now-defunct Committee on Recreation, Libraries & Youth Affairs, officials at those agencies “did not recall having similar conversations with Councilmember White regarding violence intervention programs or contracts” before July 2024—when White began talking with the FBI’s informant about receiving bribes for his help connecting with those officials.
For more on what the investigators found, and what the Council might do next, check out our full story online.
—Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)
Bill Hennessey, D.C.’s well-known and respected courtroom sketch artist, died suddenly on Monday, the day he turned 67. Over his 40-year-career, Hennessey sketched some of the city’s most infamous cases for both local and national outlets, including Bill Clinton’s impeachment, Guantanamo Bay, and Marion Barry’s trial. [WJLA, X]
The body found encased in concrete inside a refrigerator has been identified as 44-year-old Chandra Brown, a local housing advocate and writer. On Oct. 18, construction workers called police to the 4300 block of Brooks Street NE after finding the refrigerator in a dumpster. [NBC Washington]
Last night, a D.C. police officer shot and killed a dog who allegedly charged and bit an officer responding to a domestic disturbance call. The shooting is being investigated. [WUSA9]
Yesterday, the Metro Transit Police Department arrested 30-year-old Gerald Evans, who was carrying a loaded shotgun under their jacket, on the X2 bus. The gun appears to be stolen and Evans already has an open felony warrant in Anne Arundel County for theft. [WTOP]
By City Paper Staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)
Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen continue to hold up the bill that would give D.C. the chance to redevelop the RFK Stadium site. The senators are now hoping to trade the legislation’s passage for federal funding for the reconstruction of the state’s recently destroyed Key Bridge. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has seemed open to including the bill in a must-pass spending package, but he’s also urging D.C. to address Maryland’s concerns about potentially losing the Commanders before he does. [Post, Axios]
D.C. law requires that a fifth of the local taxi fleet be wheelchair accessible. But companies are falling far short of that standard and D.C. regulators have been unwilling to enforce it, for fear it would put taxi companies out of business. With Uber and Lyft not bound by these rules, this leaves many people in wheelchairs stuck without transportation options. [The Wash]
The Line DC hotel in Adams Morgan will soon be sold at a foreclosure auction as its owners deal with financial woes. The hotel was only able to open after receiving a $46 million tax abatement from the D.C. government, and it faced persistent criticism that it wasn’t hiring enough D.C. workers to earn that tax break. [Bisnow]
By Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)
Uproar, a gay men’s bar in Shaw, has launched a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of rent and utilities. According to the bar’s website, the increased price of insurance has caused Uproar to “deplete our reserves from our summer sales … As a result, we are now struggling to cover rent and utility costs through the winter.” [Blade, Metro Weekly]
It’s teatime. A roundup of the D.C.-area tea services and not all of them are located inside fancy hotels with steep price tags. [Axios]
Not a tea fan? Perhaps this list of the area’s best all-day bakeries is more your jam. [Post]
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has announced plans to push a bill next year that would get beer and wine back into grocery stores. Maryland is one of only three states to prohibit the sale of both in grocery stores. [Axios, Post]
By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)
The ’70s Lens Captures the Revolutionary Spirit of the 1970s
NGA’s current exhibit is sprawling, disorienting, and expands the definition of “documentary” photography.
FOIA, Bluegrass, and Book Burning: City Lights for Dec. 12–18
Where to go, who to see, and what to do in the D.C. area.
Katie Gavin of Muna fame talks going solo for What a Relief. The album’s songs, which are filled with the type of personal emotions typically reserved for a diary, didn’t feel right for her queer pop trio. Gavin plays a sold-out show at the Atlantis tomorrow night. [Post]
The Lincoln Memorial’s massive remodeling project will result in a state-of-the-art museum. For years, the space below Lincoln’s chair has been a vacant basement covered in old graffiti. After the multimillion-dollar project concludes, the space will house not only a museum but an expansive visitor area, theater, and store. [Post, NBC Washington]
By Sarah Marloff (tips? smarloff@washingtoncitypaper.com)