The Department of Justice decided to back down from its plan to take full control of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington D.C. through the DEA, after local authorities filed a lawsuit against the executive order signed by Donald Trump.
PUBLICIDAD
During the week, Attorney General Pam Bondi had appointed Terry Cole, director of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in charge of security for the capital of the United States.
PUBLICIDAD
Why did the Trump administration backtrack on its controversial measure?
Last Monday, under a law that empowers the federal government to intervene in the District of Columbia, Trump declared a “Public Safety Emergency” and took control of the Washington D.C. Police, in addition to announcing the deployment of about 800 National Guard troops as part of his efforts to “restore public order.”
The decision of the Republican president was criticized because the American capital has the lowest homicide crime rates in decades.
But this Friday, the Department of Justice led by Pam Bondi backtracked after the Attorney General of the District of Columbia, Brian Schwalb, sued the Trump Administration for what he considers a “hostile takeover” of the capital’s police by the federal government.
The Department of Justice chose to step back after the parties involved were summoned by District Judge Ana Reyes, who suggested they reach a joint agreement to prevent her from definitively suspending the federalization of the city.
The prosecutor Schwalb and the mayor of Washington D.C., Muriel Bowser, announced in a press conference as “a victory” that the federal government has declined to take full control of the police through a federal agency like the DEA.
Now, Terry Cole will simply remain as a “designee” of Attorney General Pam Bondi, but control of the Metropolitan Police Department returns to Chief Pamela Smith.