{"id":2475025,"date":"2025-08-15T09:21:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T13:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-officials-defy-bondi-order-appointing-emergency-police-commissioner-in-federal-takeover-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T09:25:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T13:25:28","slug":"dc-officials-defy-bondi-order-appointing-emergency-police-commissioner-in-federal-takeover-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-officials-defy-bondi-order-appointing-emergency-police-commissioner-in-federal-takeover-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"DC officials defy Bondi order appointing \u2018emergency police commissioner\u2019 in federal takeover &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdc-officials-defy-bondi-order-appointing-emergency-police-commissioner-in-federal-takeover-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2475025&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Washington, D.C. officials have rejected a federal order from Attorney General Pam Bondi,who attempted to appoint a Drug Enforcement Administration official as an &#8220;emergency police commissioner&#8221; in a move to federalize the city&#8217;s law enforcement. This action was part of President Donald trump&#8217;s effort to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/defund-the-police-is-dead-nancy-pelosi-says-with-all-the-respect-in-the-world-cori-bushs-stance-is-not-the-partys-position\/\" title=\"\u2018Defund The Police Is Dead\u2019: Nancy Pelosi Says \u2018With All The Respect In The ...\u2019 Cori Bush\u2019s Stance Is Not The Party\u2019s Position\">address rising crime<\/a> in the district by overriding its local control under the Home Rule Act. Bondi&#8217;s order stripped authority from D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith, handing her responsibilities to DEA Administrator Terry Cole. However, Mayor Muriel bowser and D.C. attorney General Brian Schwalb asserted that the order lacks legal basis and that Chief Smith remains the only lawful police chief. The federal intervention, invoked under a provision allowing a 30-day takeover with possible congressional extension, has escalated tensions between the Trump administration and local leaders amid ongoing debates over crime policies and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-considers-plan-that-could-significantly-speed-up-trump-admin-deportations-report\/\" title=\"Texas Considers Plan That Could Significantly Speed Up Trump Admin Deportations: Report\">sanctuary city protections<\/a>. Trump justified the federal takeover by citing Washington&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-lee-zeldin-attack-and-the-perils-of-bail-reform-in-americas-big-cities\/\" title=\"The Lee Zeldin Attack And The Perils Of Bail Reform In America\u2019s Big Cities\">high violent crime rates<\/a>, claiming local officials had failed to maintain safety. Meanwhile, city officials maintain their commitment to public safety and legal authority over policing in the district.  <\/p>\n<div id=\"ld-4686-3758\"><\/div>\n<p><script>(function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:14832835450050406,size:[0, 0],id:\"ld-4686-3758\"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src=\"https:\/\/cdn2.decide.dev\/_js\/ajs.js\";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,\"script\",\"ld-ajs\");<\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">DC officials defy Bondi order appointing &lsquo;emergency police commissioner&rsquo; in federal takeover<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2200057\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Leading authorities in Washington, D.C, on Thursday rebuffed attempts by the Trump administration to further federalize the district&rsquo;s law enforcement by appointing an &ldquo;emergency&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/police-and-law-enforcement\/page\/2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">police<\/a>&nbsp;commissioner.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Amid President Donald Trump&rsquo;s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3496162\/trump-dc-police-takeover-national-guard-crime-what-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&nbsp;push to reduce crime<\/a>&nbsp;in the district by sidelining its prized home rule status, Attorney General Pam Bondi stripped power from&nbsp;the city&rsquo;s Metropolitan Police Department, tapping&nbsp;Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole to assume all responsibilities carried by&nbsp;Metro Police Chief Pamela Smith.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3500367\/joe-scarborough-dc-democrats-crime\/\">Joe Scarborough says DC Democrats concerned about crime as well: &#8216;I don&#8217;t care what the crime statistics say&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3499890\/arkansas-teacher-andrew-mcgann-pleads-not-guilty-fatal-stabbing-couple\/\">Arkansas teacher pleads not guilty to fatally stabbing married couple on hike<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3499754\/governor-michelle-lujan-grisham-new-mexico-crime-rio-arriba-county\/\">New Mexico governor declares state of emergency in crime-riddled county after Trump&#8217;s DC crackdown<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The move prompted swift backlash from Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and&nbsp;D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who argued there is no legal basis for Bondi&rsquo;s order. Their rhetoric marks an escalation in tensions between the White House and district officials, who had previously been<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3498742\/washington-dc-officials-see-takeover-opportunity-building-relationship-federal-partners\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&nbsp;largely amicable<\/a>&nbsp;to President Donald Trump&rsquo;s effort to target violence and crime in the capital.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; Bowser said in a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MayorBowser\/status\/1956200562124579077\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>&nbsp;late Thursday evening highlighting a letter from Schwalb contending only Smith, not Cole, is legally qualified to exercise the duties of police chief.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have followed the law,&rdquo; Bowser continued. &ldquo;In reference to the U.S. Attorney General&rsquo;s order, there is no statute that conveys the District&rsquo;s personnel authority to a federal official.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In addition to stripping Smith of police authorities, Bondi&rsquo;s order, titled &ldquo;Restoring Safety and Security to the District of Columbia,&rdquo; targeted the district&rsquo;s leaders and the MPD for policies viewed as sanctuary city protections shielding illegal immigrants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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&rsquo;s capital have a right to feel safe and to be free from the scourge of violent crime,&rdquo; her order stated.<\/p>\n<p>When pressed for comment on Bondi&rsquo;s directive, a spokesperson for the MPD pointed the<em>&nbsp;Washington Examiner<\/em>&nbsp;to Bowser&rsquo;s statement and&nbsp;Schwalb&rsquo;s letter to Smith telling the police chief she is not legally obligated to follow the Trump administration&rsquo;s order to cede control to Cole.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We understand there may be questions about recent decisions regarding the Metropolitan Police Department,&rdquo; the spokesperson said. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s most important for our community to know is that MPD remains committed to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >delivering high-quality police service<\/a> and ensuring the safety of everyone in our city.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The battle over control of Washington, D.C.,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3499691\/police-chief-allows-officers-work-ice-washington-dc-arrest-illegal-immigrants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">launched in earnest<\/a>&nbsp;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.<\/p>\n<p>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 Capitol Hill&rsquo;s Ward 6 Councilman<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3129328\/four-ways-to-make-dc-safe-again-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&nbsp;Charles Allen spearheaded measures<\/a>&nbsp;responding to George Floyd&rsquo;s death that instituted sweeping&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3326505\/bowser-downplays-trump-threat-take-over-dc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">criminal justice reforms<\/a>&nbsp;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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during a news conference on President Donald Trump&rsquo;s plan to place Washington police under federal control and deploy National Guard troops to Washington, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/op-eds\/3498600\/man-went-prison-assaulting-me-dc-crime-stats-show-he-was-never-arrested\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A MAN WENT TO PRISON FOR ASSAULTING ME. DC POLICE CRIME STATS SHOW HE WAS NEVER ARRESTED<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Washington, D.C., has one of the Highest Rates of Crime in the World, more than many of the most violent Third World Countries,&rdquo; Trump said in a Truth Social&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/115024069066734919\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">post<\/a>&nbsp;on Wednesday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The City&rsquo;s Homicide Rate is higher than places notorious for their violence, such as Mexico City, Bogota, Islamabad, and Addis Ababa &mdash; Almost ten times higher than Fallujah, Iraq&hellip;.The Violent Crime Rate in D.C. has worsened, and the Murder Rate has essentially DOUBLED in just over a decade &mdash; But these are only the &lsquo;official&rsquo; statistics released by corrupt City Officials. The REAL numbers are many times worse,&rdquo; he continued. &ldquo;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!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2200057\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2200057\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DC officials reject Bondi&#8217;s order naming emergency police chief<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2475027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pam-bondi-2189915744.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[61330,50501,61329,60780,32076],"class_list":["post-2475025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-bondi-order","tag-dc-2","tag-emergency-police-commissioner","tag-federal-takeover","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/pam-bondi-2189915744.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2475025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2475025"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2475025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2475042,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2475025\/revisions\/2475042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2475027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2475025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2475025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2475025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}