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By Gabe Whisnant and Sonam Sheth
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Lawyers for the Trump administration and Washington, D.C., reached an agreement Friday to partially scale back U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's order placing the city's police force under federal control.
Under the terms of the new agreement, the Washington, D.C., police chief will command the district's police force, rather than Terry Cole, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, to whom Bondi had previously given full control.
Why It Matters
The legal battle playing out on Friday showed the escalating tensions in a mostly Democratic city that had its police department under the control of the Republican presidential administration in its midst.
Read More on Politics
The president's effort to take over the city's police department is his latest effort to test the limits of his legal authority to carry out his agenda, which includes the "beautification" of Washington, D.C., by relying on rarely-used laws and declaring a state of emergency to boost his platform on eradicating crime and ramping up deportations.
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What To Know
Earlier Friday, the nation's capital filed a lawsuit to block Trump's takeover of its police department.
At a hearing for the District's request for a temporary restraining order against sidelining Chief Pamela Smith, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes indicated the law likely doesn't allow the Trump administration to fully take over city police, but it probably does give the president more power than the city might like.
Smith will remain in control of the Metro Police Department (MPD), but the Trump administration will still be able to use MPD officers for federal purposes on an emergency basis, according to ABC 7 News' Tom Roussey.
Speaking to reporters, Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb, standing alongside Mayor Muriel Bowser, said he was grateful a judge affirmed that under the Home Rule Act, only the mayor can appoint the chief of police, adding, "the chief of police remains the chief of police."
Trump's takeover of the police department was historic, but it played out with a slow ramp-up in federal law enforcement officials and National Guard troops to start the week.
As the weekend approached, though, signs across the city — from the streets to the legal system — suggested a deepening crisis over who controls the city's immigration and policing policies, the district's right to govern itself and daily life for the millions of people who live and work in the metro area.
What People Are Saying
Smith said in a court filing: "In my nearly three decades in law enforcement, I have never seen a single government action that would cause a greater threat to law and order than this dangerous directive."
Reyes, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, said on Friday: "The way I read the statute, the president can ask, the mayor must provide, but the president can't control."
What Happens Next
Smith will regain control of the police force in Washington, D.C., though the Trump administration still has permission to use MPD officers for federal purposes on an emergency basis.
Update 8/15/25, 5:54 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and context.
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this article.
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