Pirro’s office to retry bribery case against Trayon White after September mistrial

The Justice Department announced this week that it plans to retry a federal bribery case against Washington, D.C. Council member Trayon White, weeks after accusations that he accepted nearly $200,000 in bribes ended in a mistrial.The FBI arrested White in 2024 on federal bribery charges, accusing him of accepting $156,000 in future kickbacks and $35,000 in cash to influence government contracts valued at $5.2 million. The case went to court this year, but a mistrial was declared in late September by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, because the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Nine of twelve jurors found him not guilty.U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office said Thursday it would retry the case. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 2 to determine how both sides will proceed. The legal team of White, who is black, immediately claimed the move was racially motivated, but Pirro denounced these claims as “absurd” during a press conference. “We don’t care what color he is. We care about the people of this District,” Pirro said of White. “We care about the fact that people think they can pay money and get things done, and that there are people willing to take money to do things.”“Our responsibility is to follow the law and pursue justice, and that’s just what we’re going to do,” Pirro continued.The saga started in August 2024, when the FBI arrested White on federal bribery charges. White has admitted to taking $35,000 in cash, but said he did not do anything in return, protesting his innocence.“We have video showing envelopes full of cash being handed to a D.C. Councilmember as part of a $156,000 bribe. The evidence, not baseless accusations about race or motive, will determine this case,” Pirro told NBC4. “Our responsibility is to follow the facts and pursue justice, not back down in the face of political pressure or personal attacks.”DC COUNCIL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS EXPELLING TRAYON WHITE AMID BRIBERY INVESTIGATIONThe D.C.Council unanimously voted in February 2025 to expel White from office, citing the official’s “quintessential corruption.” At the time, the council said White’s indictment on federal bribery charges had “damaged the public trust,” saying that “anything less than expulsion will not rectify the situation.”The debacle took a twist when White decided to run for the council seat again. He won a special election that summer and was sworn in to represent Ward 8 again in August 2025.