Washington DC Battles Trump Over “Hostile Takeover” of Police Department
Washington DC has launched an all-out legal fight against Donald Trump’s move to seize control of the city’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), calling it nothing less than a “hostile takeover” of law enforcement in the nation’s capital.
On Friday morning, District Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed an emergency restraining order just hours after US Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered the federal government to install a new police chief. Schwalb argues the Trump administration is overstepping its legal authority under the Home Rule Act, and he wants a judge to confirm that police control stays with the district — not the White House.
The sudden shake-up came when the administration appointed DEA Administrator Terry Cole as “emergency police commissioner”, giving him sweeping powers over the MPD. The move immediately inflamed tensions with local leaders, who quickly filed suit to block it.
Just four days earlier, federalized National Guard troops rolled into the city after Trump declared a crisis over crime and homelessness — a claim opponents insist is politically inflated. Bondi’s order now requires all MPD officers to get Cole’s approval before giving commands, leaving the future of Police Chief Pamela Smith, appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser, in question.
Bowser wasted no time firing back. In a social media post, she declared that “no statute conveys the District’s personnel authority to a federal official.” She also shared a letter from Schwalb advising Chief Smith that Bondi’s order is unlawful and instructing her to follow only the mayor’s orders.
The dispute intensified when Bondi overturned Smith’s earlier directive that allowed officers to share limited information with federal agencies like DHS and ICE, while still protecting the city’s sanctuary laws. These laws bar MPD from handing over personal details, release dates, or photos of undocumented individuals, and forbid arrests solely based on immigration status.
Bondi accused the policy of shielding sanctuary protections, rescinded it, and then sent warning letters to leaders in 32 cities and several counties threatening prosecution for not fully cooperating with immigration enforcement.
Democratic-led city officials strongly reject the administration’s claims that their streets are collapsing into lawlessness. They acknowledge challenges like homelessness and spikes in violence, but point out that DC’s homicide rate is lower than in several other major US cities — far from the doomsday picture painted by Trump.
Interestingly, Trump praised Smith’s initial cooperation with federal agencies, calling it “a great step”. But with Mayor Bowser juggling pressure from a Republican White House and a Democratic city, the standoff is set to deepen. Bowser, away on a family trip to Martha’s Vineyard Thursday, is expected back Friday to rejoin the battle in person.