President Donald Trump defiantly insisted Wednesday that he did not need Congress’s blessing to keep control of Washington, D.C.’s police indefinitely.

The president was asked if he was talking to Congress about extending his control of the Metropolitan Police beyond 30 days after he declared Monday he was federalizing the force to combat crime in the nation’s capital.

“If it’s a national emergency, we can do it without Congress,” Trump claimed. “But we expect to be - to Congress - before Congress very quickly.”

The president made the comment while speaking to reporters at the Kennedy Center.

While Trump claimed he did not need Congress, he said he would be engaging Republicans to address crime.

“We’re going to need a crime bill that we’re going to be putting in, and it’s going to pe

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