The dispute over the police command in Washington is heading. The US capital now defends itself legally against the takeover of its police by the Trump government. The president exceeded his powers.
The US capital Washington submitted a lawsuit against the takeover of its police authority by the government of President Donald Trump. The President had significantly exceeded his powers with his procedure, wrote the General Prosecutor of the District of Columbia, Brian Schwalb. He requested that control over the authority were still in the hands of the city and asked for an injunction.
“The government’s illegal measures are an attack on the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who are at home in Washington DC,” said Schwalb. “This is the greatest threat to self -government, which the district has ever been exposed to, and we are fighting to stop them.”
Justice Minister appointed “Emergency police president”
Hours before the lawsuit, the US government had tightened its approach to the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD) by appointing a federal official as the new emergency manager of the authority, equipped with all the authority of a police chief.
US Justice Minister Pam Bondi said on Thursday evening, the head of the anti-drug authority DEA, Terry Cole, will take over the powers and obligations of the chief of police in the capital district. The Washington police authority must obtain Cole’s approval before giving orders. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser defended herself and wrote on social media: “There is no law that transfers the personnel responsibility of the district of a federal official.”
Trump wants to act against criminal
Due to the supposedly sprawling crime, Trump had stipulated on Monday by decree that the police in the Washington capital were initially under the command of Justice Minister Bondi. He also sent 800 national guards to Washington DC
Trump’s focus – and thus the law enforcement agencies – are mainly migrants who may be illegally in the country, as well as homeless people camping on the streets and squares of the city.
Trump bases his decree on a law called “Home Rule Act”, which the police in Washington puts under Federal Command in the emergency. According to Schwalb, however, the law only provides that the US President Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser can instruct how enforcement authorities should be deployed.
date: 2025-08-15 15:15:00