Statement on the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee in the Matter of Trayon White, Sr.

This is a sad day for the Council and the District of Columbia.

The first time I truly saw how Councilmember Trayon White served his community was at a vigil after a shooting on Martin Luther King Avenue ten or more years ago. He spoke with his neighbors with empathy and strength, calling for change from outside of his community but also from within. He connected with his neighbors in a way that resonated. More recently, we overlapped at an event, and I asked him how he bore up attending so many funerals and meeting with so many families broken with pain after the loss of a loved one. He responded that he was tired – spiritually tired – but he showed up just the same.

I say these things because at the center of all this is a person who has earned the love and respect of many in his community. There is a human being with strengths and weaknesses. A person who, like all of us, should not be defined by one act.

It is in that difficult context that we are called upon to protect confidence in and the integrity of our governmental institutions and we need to treat that duty with all the gravity it requires. But, as we do our duty we should not do it lightly and we should not discount what Councilmember White has brought to his work in the community.

As we grapple with this challenge, I want to thank Councilmember McDuffie, his great staff and the consultants who have supported the work of the Ad Hoc Committee.  The report they have produced concisely lays out the standards of proof and what is known at this point about the alleged violations of the Code of Conduct and D.C. Law.

There may be many technical legal dimensions to the questions in front of us today.  But, from my perspective, the key standard we must apply is: Did Councilmember White take actions “which would adversely affect the confidence of the public in the integrity of the District government.”

Our duty is not to evaluate the situation by applying the standards of proof and defenses that might apply in a legal trial. There certainly could be a world in which Councilmember White is not ultimately found guilty in a court of law. Time will tell on that score.

But is there substantial evidence that Councilmember White in his capacity as a Councilmember has taken actions that severely and adversely affect the confidence of the public in the integrity of the Council and D.C. government?

I will forego a full review of the evidence but the unrefuted evidence – Councilmember White to date has offered no rebuttal, including the fact that he accepted thousands of dollars in exchange for an expectation that he would take action for a favored company to secure a contract in a critical area, that there was an implicit agreement that he would take a cut of government contracts going forward and that he suggested there might be other equally sensitive areas where there might be even more money to be steered to the favored contractor, to my mind, makes clear that that is the case.  And, in that setting, if we fail to decisively address the situation, our lack of action most certainly will only further undermine confidence in our institutions of local government.

It is, therefore, with a heavy heart that I conclude we have no choice but to vote to expel Councilmember Trayon White from the Council of the District of Columbia.