FBI arrests DC councilman who in 2018 accused Jewish financiers of 'climate manipulation'

The FBI arrested a Washington, D.C., city councilman on Sunday, though the circumstances surrounding the matter are not yet clear.

City Council President Phil Mendelson confirmed that fellow council member Trayon White Sr. was arrested on Sunday afternoon.

"I've talked to several people. I can confirm he was arrested around 2 o'clock by the FBI," Mendelson told a WTTG reporter. "I'm anxious to get more details to understand what is the situation. … You all know as much as I know."

Fox News has reached out to the FBI Washington field office, which declined to comment at this time.

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Washington, D.C., council member Trayon White Sr. was arrested Sunday by the FBI, though details about the arrest were not immediately known. (Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post via Getty Images)

White made national headlines in March 2018 when he suggested that Jewish financiers control the weather. The claim came as he filmed himself driving through downtown Washington in the snow and ranted about "climate manipulation."

"And D.C. keep talking about, ‘We’re a resilient city.’ And that’s a model based off the Rothschilds controlling the climate to create natural disasters they can pay for to own the cities, man," he said in the now-deleted video. "Be careful."

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The FBI arrested Washington, D.C., City Council member Trayon White Sr. on Sunday. (Getty Images)

The Rothschilds, a European Jewish banking family descended from Mayer Amschel Rothschild, have been the subject of antisemitic conspiracy theories for centuries, including that they control the world’s financial institutions and manipulate world events to their benefit.

White initially defended his comments, saying, "The video says what it says," but he later apologized to the Jewish community.

In addition to his comments about the Rothschilds, White also tweeted at prominent antisemitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in 2013 and said he was "honored" to share a birthday with Farrakhan, adding, "I must respect his intelligence, will, & boldness."

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Trayon White Sr., a member of the Washington, D.C., City Council, was arrested by the FBI on Sunday. (Twitter)

White would later come under fire in 2018 after it was reported that he donated $500 to a Nation of Islam convention in Chicago where Farrakhan attacked "powerful Jews" as his enemy and made other disparaging comments. 

"I am not resigning, I’m not backing down, I’m not discouraged, I’m not depressed, so run all the media stories you want because my people are going to support me," White said at the time when faced with backlash.

Fox News’ Sara Lechner and Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

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