On August 14, Attorney General Pam Bondi transferred the authority of the Washington DC police chief to the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Terry Cole.
“Effective immediately, Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrence C. Cole shall serve as MPD’s Emergency Police Commissioner for the duration of the emergency declared by the President. Commissioner Cole shall assume all of the powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police,” the order from the attorney general’s office read.
NBC
The order subordinates DC’s Chief Pamela Smith, who will now need to receive approval from Cole before making a decision.
While Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser was initially receptive to cooperation with the White House, herself and Washington DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb dismissed the notion that Bondi could appoint Cole as “emergency police commissioner.”
On August 15, Schwalb filed a lawsuit against Trump’s takeover of DC and the imposition of Cole as “emergency police commissioner.”
