The move prompted swift backlash from Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who argued there is no legal basis for Bondi’s order. Their rhetoric marks an escalation in tensions between the White House and district officials, who had been largely amicable to President Donald Trump’s effort to target violence and crime in the capital.

“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,” Bowser said in a statement Thursday night highlighting a letter from Schwalb contending only Smith, not Cole, is legally qualified to exercise the duties of police chief.

“We have followed the law,” Bowser continued. “In reference to the U.S. Attorney General’s order, there is no statute that conveys the District’s personnel authority to a federal official.”

In addition to stripping Smith of police authorities, Bondi’s order, titled “Restoring Safety and Security to the District of Columbia,” targeted the district’s leaders and the MPD for policies viewed as sanctuary city protections shielding illegal immigrants.

“Residents of the District of Columbia, the thousands of Americans who commute into the District for work every day, and the millions of tourists from all over the world who visit our nation’s capital have a right to feel safe and to be free from the scourge of violent crime,” her order reads.

When pressed for comment on Bondi’s directive, an MPD spokesperson pointed the Washington Examiner to Bowser’s statement and Schwalb’s letter to Smith telling the police chief she is not legally obligated to follow the Trump administration’s order to cede control to Cole.

“We understand there may be questions about recent decisions regarding the Metropolitan Police Department,” the spokesperson said. “What’s most important for our community to know is that MPD remains committed to delivering high-quality police service and ensuring the safety of everyone in our city.”

The battle over control of Washington launched in earnest on Monday, when Trump invoked Section 740 of the 1973 D.C. Home Rule Act, allowing federal control for 30 days, with congressional approval required for extensions.

Trump and his allies have argued that said federal intervention is warranted to resolve the crime problems that have dogged the district for years. Problems surged in 2020 when D.C. Councilman Charles Allen, who represents Ward 6, which includes Capitol Hill, spearheaded measures responding to George Floyd’s death that instituted sweeping criminal justice reforms and significantly softened penalties for crimes, critics contend. Some of the laws have since been rolled back, with crime metrics showing improvement in recent months.

A MAN WENT TO PRISON FOR ASSAULTING ME. DC POLICE CRIME STATS SHOW HE WAS NEVER ARRESTED

“Washington, D.C., has one of the Highest Rates of Crime in the World, more than many of the most violent Third World Countries,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.

“The City’s Homicide Rate is higher than places notorious for their violence, such as Mexico City, Bogota, Islamabad, and Addis Ababa — Almost ten times higher than Fallujah, Iraq,” he continued. ” … The Violent Crime Rate in D.C. has worsened, and the Murder Rate has essentially DOUBLED in just over a decade — But these are only the ‘official’ statistics released by corrupt City Officials. The REAL numbers are many times worse. … Now, D.C. is back under Federal Control where it belongs. The White House is in charge. The Military and our Great Police will liberate this City, scrape away the filth, and make it safe, clean, habitable and beautiful once more!”