Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday appointed Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chief Terry Cole as Washington’s “emergency police commissioner,” effectively sidelining Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith and deepening tensions over the Trump administration’s federal control of the capital’s law enforcement.
Under Bondi’s directive, Cole will take over “all of the powers and duties” of the city’s police chief. The order also requires MPD leadership to seek Cole’s approval before issuing directives to officers — a move D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb swiftly blasted as illegal.
In a letter to Smith, Schwalb argued that the Home Rule Act — which governs the temporary federal takeover ordered by President Trump — does not authorize altering the MPD chain of command.
“It is my opinion that the Bondi Order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it,” Schwalb wrote.
Cole, a career DEA veteran with overseas postings in Colombia, Afghanistan, and Mexico, was already named interim federal administrator of MPD when the White House announced its controversial intervention.
MPD, in a cautious statement, declined to comment on the legality of the move, instead stressing its commitment to “high-quality police service” and public safety.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, currently out of town, called Trump’s actions “unsettling and unprecedented.” She and Chief Smith had previously vowed that MPD leaders would maintain decision-making authority.
The administration’s 30-day federal takeover — which Trump says he may extend with congressional approval — has already seen National Guard troops deployed to patrol D.C. streets, prompting protests and accusations of government overreach.
