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DC councilman arrested in alleged bribery scheme to push violence prevention contracts for kickbacks | CNN Politics

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DC councilman arrested in alleged bribery scheme to push violence prevention contracts for kickbacks | CNN Politics




CNN
 — 

Washington, DC, Councilman Trayon White allegedly engaged in a bribery scheme to use his elected position to keep government contracts flowing to two companies, federal prosecutors say, accepting envelopes with thousands of dollars in cash and lucrative kickbacks.

White, who represents southeast DC, was arrested by the FBI Sunday and is set to appear in DC’s federal courthouse Monday afternoon.

As part of the alleged bribery scheme, White would get kickbacks from multimillion-dollar city contracts related to violence intervention services in DC. All told, White agreed to take $156,000 in cash for his work – or 3% percent of the contracts’ value, prosecutors allege.

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The scheme played out in recorded conversations, prosecutors said in court documents. White made the alleged agreements with a local businessman who had contracts with the DC government. That man, unbeknownst to White, had pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges and was working with law enforcement.

White repeatedly indicated to the informant that he needed money, according to recordings cited in court documents, saying that he was “hurting.” The recordings described in court filings also show that the informant offered White thousands of dollars in cash to push city officials toward specific contracts that would benefit his businesses, and to brainstorm additional contracts that they could try to acquire in the future.

In one conversation, White was recorded asking the informant what they needed from him.

“I don’t, I don’t wanna feel like you gotta gimme something to get something. We better than that,” White said, before taking an envelope filled with thousands in cash from the informant.

The councilman allegedly boasted about his influence, telling the informant that “I’m a huge voice when it comes to violent prevention and the Council” and that “I got great weight when it comes to violence” initiatives.

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The two also discussed how White would use his position of power as a councilman to pressure government employees to “support” him, according to court documents. White recounted some of those conversations in recorded conversations with the informant, in one instance saying that he told a government employee: “The only way I’m gonna support you, if you support me.”



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Thousands turn out – again – as third 'No Kings' rallies take over Maryland streets

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Thousands turn out – again – as third 'No Kings' rallies take over Maryland streets


Thousands turned out at the dozens of No Kings rallies scattered across Maryland, part of the millions expected across the country for the third such event. In Maryland, turnout was particularly heavy in Hagerstown, near a proposed ICE detention facility.



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WATCH LIVE: No Kings march and rally in DC

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WATCH LIVE: No Kings march and rally in DC


Thousands are expected gather in Washington, D.C. for a “No Kings” march and rally. 

Here’s everything you need to know:

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What is the No Kings protest?

What we know:

Organized locally by area chapters of Indivisible and allied grassroots groups, the event aims to draw protesters to downtown Washington and surrounding counties to oppose policies of the Trump administration and to voice broader concerns about civil rights and democratic norms.

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No Kings protest details

Timeline:

The march will kick off at 10 a.m., with participants gathering at Memorial Circle near Arlington Cemetery, with additional access from the Blue Line or nearby parking at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, according to the event organizers. There is no public parking in the immediate area, but participants can be dropped off at the circle.

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From there, the procession will head across the Memorial Bridge into Washington, D.C., passing the Lincoln Memorial and continuing on to the Washington Monument.

At the conclusion of the march, participants can walk to a downtown rally, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Other ‘No Kings’ rallies in the DMV

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Dig deeper:

In addition to the main rally in downtown D.C., several other demonstrations tied to “No Kings 3” are scheduled around the DMV this Saturday.

In Arlington, Virginia, activists are organizing a march across the Memorial Bridge beginning at 10 a.m., with protesters expected to continue into West Potomac Park before joining larger crowds in the District proper, for example. 

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There are hundreds of “No Kings” events scheduled to take place this Saturday throughout the DMV. You can click here to find a list of all of them. 

How to watch No Kings march and rally in DC

What you can do:

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FOX 5 DC will be covering No Kings in D.C. all day on FOX LOCAL and in the liveplayer at the top of this story. 

FOX 5 DC is available to watch for free on Roku, Amazon FireTV, Apple TV, Google Android TV and Vizio with the FOX LOCAL app. Here’s how to download FOX LOCAL on your mobile phone. 

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‘Strong smell’ shuts down flights at major DC-area airports for the second time this month

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‘Strong smell’ shuts down flights at major DC-area airports for the second time this month


A reported “strong smell” at a key air traffic control center disrupted flights Friday evening at major airports across the Washington, D.C., region for the second time in two weeks.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily halted flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport (CHO) and Richmond International Airport (RIC), the agency told FOX Business in an email.

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The FAA said the disruptions were due to a “strong smell” at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) center, which manages airspace in the region.

GROUND STOP LIFTED AT MAJOR DC-AREA AIRPORTS AFTER CHEMICAL ODOR DISRUPTS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

An FAA air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

It was not immediately clear what caused the smell.

Ground stops at Dulles, Reagan National and BWI remained in effect until around 8 p.m. ET before being lifted, according to the FAA’s website.

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NEWARK AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS LOST RADAR, RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WITH PLANES FOR OVER A MINUTE, SPARKING CHAOS

The FAA said the disruption was due to a “strong smell” at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) center. (Flightradar24)

As of 8:30 p.m., Reagan National was experiencing ground delays, while BWI continued to see departure delays.

Earlier this month, a ground stop was similarly issued at several airports in the Washington, D.C., region after a chemical odor was detected at the TRACON center.

FATAL LAGUARDIA COLLISION RENEWS FOCUS ON RUNWAY INCURSION RISKS ACROSS US

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Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy speaks at a news conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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The temporary ground stop March 13 similarly affected DCA, IAD, BWI and RIC, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at the time.

Duffy said the smell came from an overheated circuit board, which has since been replaced.



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