The Trump administration has agreed to scale back its attempt to seize direct control of Washington, D.C.’s police department, following tense courtroom negotiations that exposed a deep conflict over the limits of presidential power.
The clash came just days after President Trump invoked Section 740 of the 1973 Home Rule Act to declare a public safety emergency in the nation’s capital and authorize federal authorities to take control of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
In a sweeping move, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an order naming Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole as “emergency police commissioner,” effectively cutting Mayor Muriel Bowser and MPD Chief Pamela Smith out of the chain of command.
