The White House has stepped back from plans to replace Washington D.C.’s police chief after a federal judge signaled the move would likely be blocked, intensifying a standoff over President Donald Trump’s controversial takeover of the city’s law enforcement.
Earlier this week, Trump invoked emergency powers to assume control of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and deploy the National Guard, describing the nation’s capital as plagued by “bloodshed, bedlam and squalor.” The claim was disputed by local officials and crime experts. As part of the takeover, Attorney General Pam Bondi had announced that Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Terrance C. Cole would serve as “Emergency Police Commissioner,” effectively replacing Police Chief Pamela Smith.
That decision triggered an immediate legal challenge. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed for an emergency restraining order, calling the plan a “hostile takeover” that would cause “imminent, irreparable harm.” In the filing, Chief Smith herself warned: “In my nearly three decades in law enforcement, I have never seen a single government action that would cause a greater threat to law and order than this dangerous directive.”
During a Friday hearing, Judge Ana Reyes said the federal government had overstepped. She ruled that under the city’s Home Rule Act, any directive involving the police department must go through the mayor. Reyes did not issue an injunction but warned she would if the Justice Department failed to revise the order. “The statute would have no meaning at all if the president could just say ‘we’re taking over your police department,’” she said.
Following the ruling, Bondi issued a revised directive allowing Chief Smith to retain operational control of the MPD. However, the city remains under federal oversight, with orders channeled through Mayor Muriel Bowser. Bondi also mandated that the police force comply with the administration’s strict immigration policies, rescinding longstanding “sanctuary” practices that limited MPD’s involvement in immigration enforcement.
Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, defended the shift, stating: “President Trump will continue pursuing all efforts to Make DC Safe Again and end violent crime despite liberal opposition.” She added that Cole, in his federal capacity, would oversee compliance with federal immigration law.
Local officials condemned the move as an overreach. “Respectfully, the Attorney General does not have the authority to revoke laws,” D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson said in a statement on social media.
Civil rights groups have also raised alarm after nearly 200 arrests were reported in the first week of the federal takeover, many involving undocumented immigrants. Critics argue the crackdown threatens community trust and undermines local governance.
For now, Chief Smith remains in command of the city’s police force, but the broader dispute over federal authority in Washington D.C. appears far from resolved.
