Latest news with #BondiOrder
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
DC police chief calls Trump move to install DEA head ‘threat to law and order'
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith pushed back Friday morning on Attorney General Pam Bondi's move to install the Drug Enforcement Administration chief at the head of the district's police, warning that the directive could upend the department's operations. District officials are suing the Trump administration to block the action, arguing it goes beyond the emergency authorities in the D.C. Home Rule Act that President Trump invoked to surge law enforcement resources in the city. On Thursday night, Bondi installed DEA Administrator Terry Cole as D.C.'s 'emergency police commissioner,' assuming Smith's duties as part of Trump's takeover of the district's police. 'If effectuated, the Bondi Order would upend the command structure of MPD, endangering the safety of the public and law enforcement officers alike,' Smith wrote Friday morning in a court filing accompanying the district's lawsuit. '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.' Smith said Bondi's directive would only 'create confusion' for officers. 'Imposing a new command structure 'effective immediately' will wreak operational havoc within MPD and create tremendous risk for the public,' she wrote. 'The new command structure will create confusion for MPD personnel, who are required under District law to respect and obey the Chief of Police as the head and chief of the police force. 'There is no greater risk to public safety in a paramilitary organization than to not know who is in command.' Trump's police takeover is in effect for 30 days. His administration has said it will seek congressional approval to extend past that window. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
CNBC
3 days ago
- Politics
- CNBC
Bondi backs off initial order to take over D.C. police, issues new directive that keeps chief in place
WASHINGTON — Washington, D.C.'s police chief is the force's top official once again, after the Trump administration rescinded an order that stripped her of power less than a day after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued it. As part of an agreement struck Friday between attorneys from the Department of Justice and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb's office, Drug Enforcement Administration Chief Terry Cole will now be considered Bondi's "designee," instead of the emergency police chief, a position Bondi sought in her original order that claimed federal control of the department. The agreement allows Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith to maintain control of the day-to-day operations of her department, while taking orders from Mayor Muriel Bowser. In a new order Bondi issued Friday evening, the Department of Justice directed Bowser to order the police department to assist in immigration enforcement operations and to comply with database inquiries and requests for information from any federal law enforcement entity. This effectively strips Washington, D.C., of its "sanctuary city" status. But in a news conference after Friday's hearing in federal court, Schwalb, who had filed a lawsuit challenging the administration's police takeover, took a victory lap. "The key for today is to know that our effort to avoid a hostile takeover of our police force is not going to happen," he told reporters. "Chief Smith remains in control of the police department under the supervision of our mayor." Schwalb's office argued in its lawsuit, which also challenges President Donald Trump's order from Monday, that the initial orders exceed the limits on requesting services from D.C., which it says can be done on a temporary basis only under emergency circumstances. The office sought a temporary restraining order to enjoin the Trump administration from taking over the police department, saying that D.C. would "suffer devastating and irreparable harms" if the Trump administration's efforts succeeded. "The Administration's unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home," Schwalb said in a statement. "This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it." The suit said that implementing Bondi's order would "upend the entire command structure of MPD and sow chaos among the more than 3,100 officers serving the District, endangering the safety of the public and law enforcement officers alike." Smith said in a sworn declaration in support of Schwalb's suit that she had "never seen a single government action that would cause a greater threat to law and order than this dangerous directive." "If effectuated, the Bondi Order would upend the command structure of MPD, endangering the safety of the public and law enforcement officers alike," Smith said. Schwalb's office said Trump only had authority to request services for "federal purposes," and that Congress didn't grant the authority to replace D.C.'s police chief. Bowser, who had been complying with Trump's earlier directive, said in a post on social media that she agreed the initial Bondi order had gone too far. "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," Bowser wrote on X. "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," she added. In his order on Monday, Trump cited several high-profile violent acts to justify his decision to deploy National Guard troops into the capital and take control of the D.C. police. Bowser pushed back on Trump's claims of out-of-control crime in Washington, saying statistics show it's substantially dropped. According to federal data released in January, violent crime in the district for 2024 was at its lowest level in more than three decades, and down 35% from the previous year. The mayor characterized Trump's moves as "unprecedented" and an "authoritarian push" earlier this week, but conceded he had the authority to issue the order. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Trump's order the "first step in stopping the violent crime that has been plaguing the streets of Washington, DC." Under the Home Rule Act, Trump has the power to federalize the D.C. police for only 30 days unless Congress approves an extension. He said on Wednesday that he plans to ask Congress for a long-term extension — but that would need support from some Democrats to pass.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Washington DC takeover: Police Chief Pamela Smith says Trump's move ‘dangerous' threat to law and order
Washington, DC's police department chief Pamela Smith has said that the Trump administration's order to install a federal official as its head is a 'dangerous' threat to law and order in the US capital. In a court filing on Friday, Smith said that if the Trump administration's order installing an 'emergency police chief' is allowed to stand, it would upend the command structure of the force. The police chief's statement came in a court filing as Washington seeks to block the federal takeover of its police department in court. Washington's top legal official is seeking an emergency restraining order on the US Attorney General Pam Bondi's order to remove the Metropolitan Police Chief. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues the police takeover is illegal and threatens to 'wreak operational havoc.' 'The Bondi Order violates the Administrative Procedure Act because it is contrary to law, in excess of the Agency Defendants' statutory authority, arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and otherwise not in accordance with the law,' the court filing said. 'Defendants' actions also exceed their authority under the DC Home Rule Act and violate the separation of powers, Take Care Clause, and District Clause of the Constitution,' it said further. On Thursday, Attorney General Bondi designated Terry Cole, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, as 'Emergency Police Commissioner,' effectively handing over all the powers and duties vested in the Metropolitan Police Chief to him. It also left the role of the current chief, Smith, who works for the mayor, unclear. Earlier, on Thursday, Police Chief Smith had told MPD officers to share information with immigration agencies regarding people not in custody, such as someone involved in a traffic stop or checkpoint. Washington has been in chaos ever since Monday, when President Trump signed an executive order requiring the city's mayor to give temporary control of the Metropolitan Police Department to the federal government. On Thursday, the Pentagon stated that all 800 National Guard troops who were ordered to Washington to aid law enforcement personnel have been mobilised. 'As of today, all 800 Army and Air National Guardsmen are mobilised… as part of Joint Task Force DC, and they are now here in our capital,' Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told journalists. According to the Pentagon, the National Guard will not have the power to arrest anyone, but can still carry weapons and detain people temporarily.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
DC police chief calls Trump move to install DEA head ‘threat to law and order'
Washington, D.C., Police Chief Pamela Smith pushed back Friday morning on Attorney General Pam Bondi's move to install the Drug Enforcement Agency chief at the head of the district's police, warning that the directive could upend the department's operations. District officials are suing the Trump administration to block the action, arguing it goes beyond the emergency authorities in the D.C. Home Rule Act that President Trump invoked to surge law enforcement resources in the city. On Thursday night, Bondi installed DEA administrator Terrance Cole as D.C.'s 'emergency police commissioner,' assuming Smith's duties as part of Trump's takeover of the district's police. 'If effectuated, the Bondi Order would upend the command structure of MPD, endangering the safety of the public and law enforcement officers alike,' Smith wrote Friday morning in a court filing accompanying the district's lawsuit. '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.' Smith said that Bondi's directive would only 'create confusion' for officers. 'Imposing a new command structure 'effective immediately' will wreak operational havoc within MPD and create tremendous risk for the public,' she wrote. 'The new command structure will create confusion for MPD personnel, who are required under District law to respect and obey the Chief of Police as the head and chief of the police force. 'There is no greater risk to public safety in a paramilitary organization than to not know who is in command,' she added. Trump's police takeover is in effect for 30 days. His administration has said it will seek congressional approval to extend past that window.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Bondi signs order to end D.C. ‘sanctuary policies'
Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the rescission of a number of D.C. policing policies on immigration, saying 'DC's sanctuary policies no longer apply.' In a series of late Thursday actions, Bondi targeted several longstanding policies as well as a Thursday directive that increased Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) cooperation with federal authorities on immigration matters but barred making inquiries or arrests based solely on someone's immigration status. Along with rescinding that policy, Bondi rescinded two other orders barring MPD officers from conducting immigration arrests for individuals that have no other criminal arrest warrant and to not inquire about someone's immigration status for the sole purpose of 'enforcing civil immigration laws.' Bondi also directed D.C. police to fully enforce a crown control law that 'makes it unlawful to crowd or obstruct streets, public or private building entrances, passage through parks, and engage in or continue demonstrations where it is unlawful or after being told to cease engaging,' Justice Department spokesperson Chad Gilmartin wrote on X. D.C. officials immediately cast doubt on whether Bondi had the authority to take such actions, a move that came along with naming Drug Enforcement Agency Administrator Terry Cole as Washington's ' emergency police commissioner.' It's not clear that Bondi has the authority to do so, a move that launched a swift suit from the D.C. Attorney General's Office and questions from D.C. leaders. In his letter to D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argued that the Home Rule Act — the law under which President Trump has temporarily assumed control of the district's police — did not allow for the federal government to directly alter the chain of command. 'It is my opinion that the Bondi Order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it,' he wrote. In sharing the letter on X, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said that while D.C. must provide its police for federal services, 'there is no statute that conveys the District's personnel authority to a federal official.' D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson also argued Bondi had no ability to cast aside existing D.C. policies.
