D.C. Councilman Who Said Jews Control Weather Gave Constituent Money To Farrakhan
Trayon White Image by Facebook
(JTA) — Washington, D.C., councilman Trayon White said a $500 donation to the Nation of Islam was meant to show his appreciation for local black men who have helped him to reach and help local youth.
White, already under fire for saying on Facebook that rich Jews control the weather and for leaving an organized tour of the U.S. Holocaust museum, said he donated $500 to the Nation of Islam’s Saviours’ Day gathering in Chicago from his constituent services fund because two local members asked him to.
His treasurer told The Washington Post, which first reported the donation, that the councilman had ordered him to cut the check. The constituent services funds is made up of private money raised by lawmakers to help the residents of their districts.
At the convention, Farrakhan made anti-Semitic comments, including calling “powerful Jews” his enemy and blaming Jews in Hollywood for the existence of transgender people.
White made a Facebook Live video on Saturday to defend himself against the fallout from recent events. “I’m under constant attack,” White said at the beginning of the 35-minute video.
He addressed the Rothschilds controlling the weather incident by saying that he did not know that it was an anti-Semitic canard. “But I said my apologies and I am done with that,” he continued.
White asserted that he did not leave a tour for him and his staff of the U.S. Holocaust museum early, but rather went ahead with a staff member for part of the time because “a reporter was following me.”
White said of the Nation of Islam donation that when he is called to the scene of a homicide or a crime involving a young black man, that he often gets assistance from the Brothers Huddle, and that several of those men are adherents of the Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan.
White said he has gotten support from the Jewish community and singled out the progressive organization Jews United for Justice. The group on Friday issued a statement calling on White to request a refund for the donation to the Nation of Islam.
White asserted several time that he will continue to serve his constituents. “I’m not going anywhere, I’m not resigning,” he said.
D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, who is Jewish, in a statement called the revelation of White’s donation “appalling.”
“I believe the Council should censure Councilmember T. White for his misuse of funds in support of Anti-Semitism and homophobia,” she said.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
