D.C. AG: Bondi naming DEA chief emergency police commissioner "unlawful"

The Trump administration increased its grip on D.C. policing Thursday, with Attorney General Pam Bondi appointing Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole as the city's "emergency police commissioner."Why it matters: Bondi's directive means Cole is assuming "all the powers" and duties vested in the city's Metropolitan Police Department chief and the MPD "MUST receive approval from Commissioner Cole" before issuing any directive, per a statement posted by her office on X. Screenshot: DEA/XYes, but: D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb (D) said in a letter to MPD Chief Pamela Smith, "It is my opinion that the Bondi Order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it."D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said on X that the law requires the city's mayor during a presidential declared emergency "to provide the services of the Metropolitan Police Department for federal purposes at the request of the President."She added: "We have followed the law. In reference to the U.S. Attorney General's order, there is no statute that conveys the District's personnel authority to a federal official."The big picture: President Trump declared a "crime emergency" in the U.S. capital on Monday, despite data showing crime in D.C. trending down over the past couple of years.He put Bondi in charge of the MPD, activated about 800 National Guard soldiers and sent some 850 officers and agents to D.C. as part of the crime crackdown that's ramped up to include 24/7 federal patrols.Trump's federalization of the MPD has a 30-day limit unless Congress extends it. The president has indicated that he'll push for a "long-term extension" in a crime bill that would initially concern D.C. but will serve as a roadmap for other cities.Representatives for the DOJ did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on Thursday evening.Go deeper: White House: Bondi has "officially ENDED" D.C. sanctuary policiesEditor's note: This article has been updated with comment from D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

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