Justice Department accuses DC councilmember of jury tampering before bribery trial
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 04: Trayon White is seen after the vote for his expulsion from the City Council in Washington, DC on February 04, 2025. White represented Ward 8 on the Council and was expelled in response to his arrest on bribery charges la
WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice has accused D.C. Councilmember Trayon White of trying to influence jurors ahead of his bribery trial scheduled to begin on Sept. 14.
What we know:
In a legal back and forth this week, the Justice Department requested a gag order for White and asked a judge to order White to remove a video that he posted to social media.
In the video, posted on Sept. 1, White urges D.C. residents to answer their jury summons and expressed concern about a lower response from potential jurors who are Black.
In an emergency motion filed on Sept. 3, the Justice Department calls the video an "unabashed attempt to taint the jury."
"The defendant makes a blatant attempt to tamper with the jury pool for his upcoming trial by appealing to race, making disparaging comments about the jury selection process, and inflammatory comments about a separate jury trial," the Justice Department writes.
In a follow-up document, the department points out that the video remains up on White's social media channel and asks a judge to order White to remove it.
"In other words, the defendant continues to comment as of the time of this filing," the department says.
They further asked the judge to order White not to make any additional comment about the topic ahead of his trial.
White's attorneys respond
What they're saying:
In response to the Justice Department's filing, White's attorneys said his statements were not unlawful as he was seeking to uphold his right to a fair trial.
"Mr. White was merely speaking about the duties of citizenship, and about having a fair cross-section of the community in the jury pool, upholding values of racial equality," his attorneys write.
His attorneys also emphasized that it is "extremely unlikely" that his comments would impact the jury pool for his upcoming trial, "either for good or for ill."
The backstory:
White was arrested by the FBI in August 2024 on federal bribery charges connected to allegations that he agreed to accept $156,000 in cash in exchange for using his councilmember position to pressure government employees to extend certain contracts.
He was expelled from the D.C. Council in 2025 after an investigation into his conduct. However, in July 2025, he ran for office and reclaimed his seat as councilmember for Ward 8.
White's bribery trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 14.
The Source: Information in this report is from related court documents.