JUST IN: AG Pam Bondi STRIPS D.C. Police Chief’s Powers, Installs DEA Boss In Her Place

In a sweeping and controversial move, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an executive directive on Thursday effectively sidelining Washington, D.C.’s Police Chief, Pamela Smith. The order named DEA Administrator Terry Cole as the city’s “emergency police commissioner,” granting him the full powers and duties normally held by the Police Chief. This extraordinary step rolled back established sanctuary city policies, ordering Metropolitan Police officers to comply with federal immigration enforcement—a stark departure from D.C.’s longstanding local autonomy.

The directive triggered immediate pushback from city leadership. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb both condemned Bondi’s actions as unlawful under the city’s Home Rule Charter. Schwalb filed suit to block the takeover, arguing that the move violated the 1973 Home Rule Act, which grants D.C.’s locally elected leaders control over the Metropolitan Police, except in very narrow emergency circumstances.

Responding to these legal challenges, a federal judge mediated a rapid compromise. Under the revised order, Chief Smith remains in charge of the department, and Cole’s new role is limited to coordinating federal policing requests—chiefly around immigration enforcement—not outright command over D.C. law enforcement.

Still, Bondi’s directive exerted significant policy change. She rescinded MPD orders limiting cooperation with ICE, effectively ending the capital’s sanctuary policies. The Justice Department’s legal team sought to enforce immigration crackdowns and authorize federal oversight of local police—all while avoiding direct control.

In parallel, the federal deployment surged. Approximately 800 National Guard troops and agents from multiple federal agencies mobilized in D.C., focusing on neighborhood patrols, encampment removals, and immigration enforcement. The visible increase in federal presence fueled anxiety and protests among residents who feared overreach and erosion of local governance.

This episode sharpens the tension between federal authority and D.C.’s autonomy. City officials see it as an unprecedented encroachment on self-governance, while the Trump administration framed it as necessary to restore law and order. Legal experts point to the Home Rule Act’s emergency provisions, which permit limited federal coordination but do not authorize deposing local officials.