Washington, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a federal lawsuit Friday morning in an attempt to block President Donald Trump’s takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The lawsuit came just hours after Attorney General Pam Bondi named DEA Administrator Terry Cole as the “emergency police commissioner” of MPD, part of the Trump administration’s 30-day federalization of the department.
“We are suing to block the federal government takeover of DC police,” Schwalb wrote.
“By illegally declaring a takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its temporary, limited authority under the law. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule DC has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.”
Dispute Over Crime Data
In the filing, Schwalb claimed Trump’s statements on D.C. crime are “hyperbolic and inconsistent with the facts,” citing Biden DOJ statistics from Jan. 3 that said violent crime in the District fell 35% in 2024, reaching its lowest level in 30 years.
However, those numbers rely on local police data that exclude serious offenses such as felony and aggravated assault without a weapon — crimes that D.C. law defines as violent.
FBI data paint a different picture: violent crime dropped by only 10% in 2024, while homicides have remained above pre-COVID levels (except for 2021 when D.C. submitted incomplete data).
White House: Takeover is Lawful and Necessary
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended the move, telling the Daily Caller News Foundation:
“The Trump Administration has the lawful authority to assert control over the D.C. Police, which is necessary due to the emergency that has arisen in our Nation’s Capital as a result of failed leadership. The Democrats’ efforts to stifle this tremendous progress are par for the course for the Defund the Police, Criminals-First Democrat Party.”
