The FBI arrested a Washington, D.C. city council member on Sunday, but the circumstances surrounding the case are not yet clear.
City Council Speaker Phil Mendelson confirmed that fellow Councilman Treyon White Sr. was arrested Sunday afternoon.
“I’ve spoken to a few people and I can confirm that he was arrested by the FBI around 2 p.m.,” Mendelson told a WTTG reporter. “I’d like more information to understand the situation. You all know as much as I do.”
Fox News has reached out to the FBI’s Washington field office, which declined to comment at this time.
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Washington, D.C. City Councilman Treyon White Sr. was arrested by the FBI on Sunday, but details of the arrest were not immediately released. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
White made national headlines in March 2018 when he suggested Jewish financiers control the weather, making the claim while filming himself driving through downtown Washington in the snow and railing against “climate engineering.”
“And Washington keeps saying, ‘We are resilient cities,’ which is based on a model where the Rothschilds control the climate, create natural disasters, and then own the cities at their expense,” he said in the now-deleted video. “Watch out.”
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The FBI arrested Washington, D.C. City Councilman Treyon White Sr. on Sunday. (Getty Images)
The Rothschild family, European Jewish bankers descended from Mayer Amschel Rothschild, have been the subject of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories for centuries, including that they have controlled the world’s financial institutions and manipulated world affairs for their own benefit.
White initially defended his comments, saying “what is said in the video is true,” but later apologized to the Jewish community.
In addition to his comments about the Rothschilds, White also tweeted about notorious anti-Semitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in 2013, saying he was “honoured” to share the same birthday as Farrakhan, adding that he “has to respect his intellect, will and boldness.”
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Washington, D.C. City Councilman Treyon White Sr. was arrested by the FBI on Sunday. (Twitter)
White faced criticism in 2018, Reported Farrakhan donated $500 to the Nation of Islam conference in Chicago, where he attacked “powerful Jews” as enemies and made other disparaging comments.
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When faced with backlash at the time, White said, “I am not resigning, I am not backing down, I am not discouraged, I am not depressed, so go ahead and cover it all you want in the media, because my supporters support me.”
Fox News’ Sarah Lechner and Jessica Chasmer contributed to this report.
