Latest news with #BrianSchwalb
ABC News
4 minutes ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Washington DC launches court challenge against Trump administration police takeover
Washington DC has challenged US President Donald Trump's takeover of its police department in court, hours after his administration stepped up its crackdown on policing. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a new lawsuit that Mr Trump was going far beyond his power under the law. Mr Schwalb asked a judge to find that the district still controls the department and sought an emergency restraining order. "The administration's unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home," he said. "This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it." The lawsuit comes after Federal Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday night, local time, that Drug Enforcement Administration boss Terry Cole would assume the "powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police." She said the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) "must receive approval from Commissioner Cole" before issuing any orders. It was unclear where the move left the city's current police chief, Pamela Smith, who works for the mayor. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser pushed back, writing on social media that "there is no statute that conveys the District's personnel authority to a federal official." Justice Department and White House spokespeople did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the district's lawsuit. Mr Schwalb said late Thursday that Ms Bondi's directive was "unlawful," arguing it could not be followed by the city's police force. He wrote in a memo to Ms Smith that "members of MPD must continue to follow your orders and not the orders of any official not appointed by the Mayor," setting up the legal clash. Ms Bondi's directive came even after Ms Smith told MPD officers hours earlier to share information with immigration agencies regarding people not in custody, such as someone involved in a traffic stop or checkpoint. The Justice Department said Ms Bondi disagreed with the police chief's directive because it allowed for continued enforcement of "sanctuary policies," which generally limit cooperation by local law enforcement with federal immigration officers. Mr Trump's Attorney General said she was rescinding that order as well as other MPD policies limiting inquiries into immigration status and preventing arrests based solely on federal immigration warrants. All new directives must now receive approval from Commissioner Cole, the attorney general said. The police takeover is the latest move by Mr Trump to test the limits of his legal authority. The DC population, already tense from days of ramp-up, has begun seeing more significant shows of force across the city. National Guard troops watched over some of the world's most renowned landmarks and Humvees took position in front of the busy main train station. Volunteers helped homeless people leave long-standing encampments, but it was unclear where they were moved to. Department of Homeland Security police stood outside Nationals Park on Thursday during a game between the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies. DEA agents patrolled The Wharf, a popular nightlife area, while Secret Service officers were seen in the Foggy Bottom neighbourhood. National Guard Major Micah Maxwell said troops would assist law enforcement in various roles, including traffic control posts and crowd control. The Guard members have been trained in de-escalation tactics and crowd control equipment, Major Maxwell added. AP
Al Jazeera
33 minutes ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump's takeover of DC police department faces new lawsuit amid crackdown
The United States capital, Washington, DC, has challenged President Donald Trump's takeover of its police department in court, hours after his administration stepped up its crackdown on policing by naming the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chief, a federal official, as the new emergency head of the department, with all the powers of a police chief. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb said on Friday in a new lawsuit that Trump is exceeding his power under the law. Schwalb urged a judge to rule that control of the department remains in the city's hands, and he has also sought an emergency restraining order. 'The administration's unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call D.C. home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it,' Schwalb said. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser also pushed back, writing on social media that 'there is no statute that conveys the District's personnel authority to a federal official.' 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. In… — Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) August 15, 2025 The lawsuit comes after Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Thursday night that DEA boss Terry Cole will assume 'powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police'. The Metropolitan Police Department 'must receive approval from Commissioner Cole' before issuing any orders, Bondi said. Earlier this week, Trump announced that the federal government would take control of the District of Columbia (DC) Metropolitan Police Department to address surging crime. 'I'm announcing a historic action to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse,' Trump said during the news conference, in which he was joined by Bondi, who was initially set to oversee the city's police force while it is under federal control. 'This is Liberation Day in DC, and we're going to take our capital back. We're taking it back,' Trump said. He also announced the deployment of the National Guard. 'I'm deploying the National Guard to help re-establish law, order and public safety in Washington, DC, and they're going to be allowed to do their job properly,' he said. Trump also said that he intends to remove the capital's homeless population, but did not provide details on how the plan would be carried out. Residents wary of escalated show of force A Washington population already on edge from days of Trump administration ramp-ups has begun witnessing more significant shows of force across the city. National Guard troops watched over some of the country's most renowned landmarks and Humvees took position in front of the busy main train hub, Union Station. Volunteers have helped homeless people leave longstanding encampments, but where they were relocating to was often unclear. Department of Homeland Security police stood outside Nationals Park during a baseball game on Thursday. DEA agents patrolled The Wharf, a popular nightlife area, while Secret Service officers were seen in the Foggy Bottom neighbourhood. The sudden spike in high visibility of federal forces around the city, including in many busy traffic areas, has struck residents going about their day-to-day lives. Trump has the power to take over federal law enforcement for 30 days before his actions must be reviewed by Congress, though he has said he will re-evaluate as that deadline approaches. National Guard troops are usually less of a heavy presence in Washington's metropolitan area, typically being used during mass public events like the annual July 4 celebration. They have regularly been used in the past for crowd control in and around Metro stations.
BBC News
33 minutes ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Pam Bondi names DEA administrator as 'emergency' DC police chief
Washington DC is suing the federal government over its takeover of the police force, after US Attorney General Pam Bondi named the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as the district's "emergency police commissioner".The city's attorney general, Brian Schwalb, wrote on X that the US government had illegally declared a takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and was "abusing its temporary, limited authority under the law". The lawsuit asks a judge to void Bondi's order and stop the DEA head from "assuming any position of command within MPD". President Donald Trump on Monday declared he would use federal law enforcement to crack down on crime in Washington. He has since sent in hundreds of National Guard members and other federal agents to clear homeless encampments, run checkpoints and otherwise bolster law enforcement, citing a 1970s law known as the Home Rule Act that allows him to use MPD for "federal purposes" that he "may deem necessary and appropriate."Late Thursday, Bondi wrote in an order that DEA Administrator Terry Cole would assume "all of the powers and duties" of local Police Chief Pamela Smith. The chief "must receive approval from Commissioner Cole before issuing any further directives to the MPD", according to the order. Almost immediately, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Schwalb struck back, saying the order was "unlawful" and telling Smith she did not have to follow it. In the last few days, armoured vehicles have lined up near monuments and other tourist sites, and drivers have been stopped on a popular nightlife corridor. Officials have said that, altogether, 800 troops are expected to be deployed to the district, as well as 500 federal law enforcement agents, such as the a Democrat, has said there is no emergency and Trump's "unnecessary and unprecedented" move is an "authoritarian push". Speaking on Fox News on Thursday to announce her appointment of Cole, Bondi said federal officers had made 156 arrests and seized 27 firearms this week. Trump has said crime has worsened in Washington DC, but analysis by BBC Verify suggests a different trend. Violent offences fell after peaking in 2023, and in 2024, they hit their lowest level in 30 years, according to figures published by DC police. They are continuing to fall, preliminary data for 2025 crime overall has fallen 26% this year compared to the same point in 2024, and robbery is down 28%, according to the police department.
Epoch Times
34 minutes ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
DC Attorney General Says Police Don't Have to Follow Bondi's Order
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's order naming a federal official as the emergency police commissioner of the District of Columbia's police department, and rescinding an executive order from the department, is not legal, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said on Aug. 14. 'It is my opinion that the Bondi Order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it,' Schwalb told Pamela Smith, the police chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), in a missive released by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Cedar News
37 minutes ago
- Politics
- Cedar News
Washington D.C. Attorney General Sues to Block Trump Administration's Takeover of Local Police
Washington, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has filed a lawsuit to block what city leaders call a 'hostile takeover' of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) by the Trump administration. The legal challenge comes after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi invoked emergency powers to install Drug Enforcement Administration chief Terry Cole as 'Emergency Police Commissioner,' effectively sidelining MPD Chief Pamela Smith. The administration cited rising public safety threats as justification, using a provision in the D.C. Home Rule Act that allows federal intervention in emergencies. Under the order, MPD must also reverse its sanctuary policies and cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Schwalb argue the move is unconstitutional, exceeds the president's authority, and undermines D.C.'s limited self-governance. They are seeking an immediate court order to restore local control. Critics say the federal action is politically motivated and not supported by crime statistics, which show violent crime in the District at a 30-year low. The lawsuit sets up a high-stakes battle over the extent of presidential power in the nation's capital and could determine how future emergencies are handled in Washington.
