DC AG Sues Feds To Stop Trump Admin From Cleaning Up Crime
Washington, D.C. Attorney General Brian schwalb has filed a lawsuit against the Trump Management to block its takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). This legal action comes in response to President trump’s executive order invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which grants the federal government temporary authority over MPD during a declared public safety emergency. Trump also mobilized the National Guard to address crime in D.C.
The conflict escalated when Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed DEA Administrator Terry Cole as emergency police commissioner, granting him all powers of the MPD Chief. Schwalb argues this order is unlawful and insists that only MPD Chief Pamela Smith legally holds those powers. He vows to defend D.C.’s Home Rule and maintain local control of MPD in court.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser supports the city’s stance,emphasizing that the MPD has fulfilled legal obligations during federal emergencies. Schwalb highlights that the federal government’s authority is limited and must be for temporary and specific federal purposes only. The lawsuit reflects broader tensions over local autonomy, public safety, and the federal government’s role in governing the nation’s capital.
Washington, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has had enough of criminal arrests and clearing out homeless encampments. He has announced that the city is suing the Trump Administration to stop its takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
We are suing to block the federal government takeover of DC police.
By illegally declaring a takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its temporary, limited authority under the law.
This is the gravest threat to Home Rule DC has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.
— AG Brian Schwalb (@DCAttorneyGen) August 15, 2025
President Donald Trump announced an executive order Monday invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act. It gives the federal government the authority to control MPD. Trump also declared a public safety emergency D.C., mobilizing the National Guard to address rampant crime in the nation’s capital.
The final straw for the city was Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Thursday order naming DEA Administrator Terry Cole as emergency police commissioner. Cole will assume “all of the powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police,” according to the order.
Schwalb will fight in court for MPD’s Chief Pamela Smith’s position.
“It is my opinion that the Bondi Order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it,” Schwalb said in an August 14 letter to Smith.
Let us be clear about what the law requires during a Presidential declared emergency: it requires the mayor of Washington, DC to provide the services of the Metropolitan Police Department for federal purposes at the request of the President.
We have followed the law.
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) August 15, 2025
“Regardless of the Bondi Order, no official other than you may exercise all the powers and duties of the Chief of Police or issue any executive orders, or other written directives that apply to members of MPD,” the letter concluded.
Schwalb’s complaint asks the Washington, D.C. U.S. District Court to prevent Cole from assuming any position of comment within MPD.
This is an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home.
Our office will go to court to defend Home Rule, block the unlawful orders, and maintain MPD under District control.
We have no choice but to stand up for DC residents’ rights and safety.
— AG Brian Schwalb (@DCAttorneyGen) August 15, 2025
“The federal government’s power over DC is not absolute, and it should not be exercised as such,” Schwalb wrote in a series of X posts. “Section 740 of the Home Rule Act permits the President to request MPD’s services. But it can only be done temporarily, for special emergencies, and solely for federal purposes.”
Perhaps Schwalb does not understand that everything that happens in the capital is of national interest.
The city hosts many tourists who ought to feel safe for what may be the trip of a lifetime. The city has a huge population of young adults hoping to build a future with an internship, a dream job at the Capitol Building, or work with a nonprofit. Plenty of people from around the nation are connected to someone who lives there. Diplomats from around the world live and visit D.C. because it is one of the most powerful cities in the world. It should be a shining example of the best America has to offer, not a cesspool of crime and homelessness.
Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.
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