(Adds Muriel Bowser's last name in paragraph 2)

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a directive late on Thursday naming Drug Enforcement Administration head Terry Cole as the "emergency police commissioner" of Washington's Metropolitan Police Department.

The move drew immediate criticism from DC's Mayor Muriel Bowser and District Attorney General Brian Schwalb. Bowser said there was nothing in the law that gave "the District's personnel authority to a federal official."

On X, Bowser shared a letter written by AG Schwalb which said that Bondi's order was "unlawful," and that the current police chief was not legally obligated to follow it.

KEY QUOTES

"Commissioner Cole shall assume all of the powers and duties vested in the District of Columbi

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