Sign in Subscribe
Police departments

D.C. Attorney General Sues Trump Over "Hostile" Takeover of Police Department

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb is taking the White House to court over what he calls a "hostile" takeover of the city's police department. The lawsuit, filed by Schwalb, challenges President Donald Trump's seizure of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Attorney General Pam Bondi's order installing Terry Cole, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, as the city's new "emergency police commissioner." The takeover threatens to undermine the city's status as a sanctuary city and upend the command structure of MPD, putting public safety at risk.

Key Takeaways:

  • The lawsuit challenges President Donald Trump's seizure of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the order installing Terry Cole as the city's new "emergency police commissioner."
  • The takeover threatens to undermine the city's status as a sanctuary city and upend the command structure of MPD, putting public safety at risk.
  • The lawsuit claims that Trump's actions are an "unlawful assertion of authority" and would create "immediate, devastating, and irreparable harms for the District."
  • The takeover is related to the alleged assault against Edward "Big Balls" Coristine, a 19-year-old former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), by two teenagers in a case the president has taken a personal interest in.
  • D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser blasted Bondi's order, signaling she would not comply, stating that the law requires the mayor of Washington, DC to provide the services of the Metropolitan Police Department for federal purposes at the request of the President.

Statistics:

  • 700,000: The number of Americans who call D.C. home.
  • 30 days: The duration for which the National Guard troops will be deployed in the capital, according to Trump's declaration of a public safety emergency.
  • 3 decades: The timeframe over which D.C.'s violent crime rate is at its lowest, despite Trump's declaration of a public safety emergency.
  • 19: The age of Edward "Big Balls" Coristine, a former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), who was allegedly assaulted by two teenagers.

Sources:

  • "D.C. Attorney General sues Trump over hostile takeover of police force." The Daily Beast.
  • Court document: District of Columbia v. Donald J. Trump. Courtlistener. August 15, 2025.
  • Twitter post by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb. X. August 15, 2025.

Read more