D.c. Attorney General Sues Over Trump Takeover Of Local Police

WASHINGTON — Brian Schwalb, nan lawyer wide for nan District of Columbia, revenge a suit successful national tribunal successful Washington connected Friday challenging nan Trump administration's takeover of nan Metropolitan Police Department.

The suit challenges Trump's Monday executive bid arsenic good arsenic Attorney General Pam Bondi's Thursday bid claiming national power of nan D.C. constabulary force. Schwalb's agency based on that nan orders transcend nan limits connected requesting services from D.C., which they opportunity tin only beryllium done connected a impermanent ground nether emergency circumstances.

"By declaring a dispute takeover of MPD, nan Administration is abusing its limited, impermanent authority nether nan Home Rule Act, infringing connected nan District’s correct to self-governance and putting nan information of DC residents and visitors astatine risk,” Schwalb said successful a statement. “The Administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to nan dignity and autonomy of nan 700,000 Americans who telephone DC home. This is nan gravest threat to Home Rule that nan District has ever faced, and we are fighting to extremity it.”

D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb speaks successful 2023.Matt McClain / The Washington Post via Getty Images file

Bondi announced Thursday that DEA Administrator Terry Cole would beryllium nan "emergency constabulary commissioner" of MPD for nan long of Trump's takeover, superceding Police Chief Pamela Smith. Schwalb's agency said Trump only had authority to petition services for "federal purposes," and that Congress didn't assistance nan authority to switch D.C.'s constabulary chief.