Justice Department officials agreed to rewrite an order that named the DEA head as emergency police commissioner.
Some small good news:
Trump admin backs down on DC police control after striking deal
Justice Department officials agreed to rewrite an order that named the DEA head as emergency police commissioner.
— David Darmofal (@daviddarmofal.bsky.social) 2025-08-15T22:01:59.273Z
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/15/doj-dc-police-department-control-hearing-00512503
Washington officials and the Justice Department negotiated a deal at a judge’s urging Friday that prevented full federal control of the city’s police department over the weekend, but left underlying legal disputes unresolved.
Justice Department officials agreed to rewrite a Thursday order from Attorney General Pam Bondi that named Drug Enforcement Administration head Terry Cole as emergency police commissioner, cutting the mayor and existing police chief out of the chain of command. The rewritten order will name Cole as Bondi’s “designee for requesting services” from the police department.....
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes indicated at a hearing Friday she would grant the D.C. attorney general’s request for a temporary restraining order if the Justice Department did not follow through on rewriting the order by Friday evening. The hearing came after city officials sued the Trump administration earlier Friday over the directive to take over control of the Metropolitan Police Department.
“In the interim, Mr. Cole is not going to be able to direct police department individuals to do anything,” Reyes, a Biden appointee, said. “He’s going to have to go through the mayor.”
Reyes indicated she will hold a hearing next week on other remaining legal questions.
“I still do not understand on what basis the president … can say ‘You, police department, can’t do anything unless I say you can.’ That cannot be the reading of the statute,” Reyes said.
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