a dramatic legal showdown is unfolding in the nation’s capital. Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb has filed a lawsuit against President Trump over what city officials call an unlawful attempt to seize control of the Metropolitan Police Department.
The lawsuit, filed early Friday, challenges the administration’s decision to install Drug Enforcement Administration chief Terry Cole as “emergency police commissioner” — effectively placing him above D.C.’s police chief and mayor.
In the 33-page complaint, Schwalb argues that the move far exceeds the emergency powers outlined in the city’s Home Rule Act, which the president invoked earlier this week to justify his takeover. The suit seeks to block Cole’s appointment and preserve command of the MPD under Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Pamela Smith.
Quoting directly from the filing, Schwalb warned, “There is no greater risk to public safety in a large, professional police force like MPD than to not know who is in command.”
The controversy began Monday when President Trump cited a crime emergency in Washington, ordering the city to provide law enforcement services under the Home Rule Act. While city leaders initially agreed to cooperate, they now say the administration has gone too far.
Hours before the lawsuit, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi signed an order directing MPD leaders to seek approval from DEA chief Cole before issuing directives, and even rolled back MPD policies that limited cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. In response, Schwalb issued a legal opinion calling Bondi’s order unlawful — telling MPD leaders not to enforce it.
Friday’s lawsuit now escalates the standoff, declaring that Section 740 of the Home Rule Act does not authorize what Schwalb described as a “brazen usurpation of the District’s authority.”
The Justice Department has declined to comment on the case.
Notably, the lawsuit does not directly challenge Trump’s other recent measures in Washington, including the mobilization of 800 National Guard troops and the deployment of federal law enforcement officers across the city.
For now, the battle over who truly controls D.C.’s police force is headed to the courts.
Reporting by Katy Moore.
