The Trump administration increased its grip on D.C. policing Thursday, with Attorney General Pam Bondi appointing Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole as the city's "emergency police commissioner."

Why it matters: Bondi's directive means Cole is assuming "all the powers" and duties vested in the city's Metropolitan Police Department chief and the MPD "MUST receive approval from Commissioner Cole" before issuing any directive, per a statement posted by her office on X.

Yes, but: D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb (D) said in a letter to MPD Chief Pamela Smith, "It is my opinion that the Bondi Order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it." • D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said on X that the law requires the city's mayor during a presidential decla

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