WASHINGTON — District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb has filed a federal lawsuit challenging what he calls an unlawful “hostile takeover” of the city’s police department by the Trump administration.
The suit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, contests both President Trump’s executive order issued Monday and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s subsequent directive on Thursday, which placed the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under federal control. Schwalb’s office argues these actions violate the Home Rule Act, which permits only temporary federal requests for local assistance under specific emergency circumstances.
“By declaring a hostile takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its limited, temporary authority under the Home Rule Act, infringing on the District’s right to self-governance, and putting the safety of residents and visitors at risk,” Schwalb, a Democrat, said in a statement. “This is the gravest threat to Home Rule the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”
Bondi’s order appointed Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole as “emergency police commissioner,” effectively overriding current Police Chief Pamela Smith for the duration of the federal intervention. Schwalb’s office contends that Trump’s authority extends only to requesting local services for federal purposes, not to replacing the city’s police leadership — a power they say Congress has never granted.
