D.C. Attorney General Sues To Stop Trump’s Crackdown On Crime And Homelessness
Washington, D.C.’s Democratic attorney general, Brian Schwalb, filed a federal lawsuit Friday in an attempt to block President Donald Trump’s takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and halt the administration’s broader push to restore order to the nation’s capital.
Schwalb blasted Trump’s declaration of a public safety emergency, calling it “brazenly unlawful” and an “affront to the dignity” of district residents. “We are suing to block the federal government takeover of DC police. By illegally declaring a takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its temporary, limited authority under the law. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule DC has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it,” Schwalb said. “The federal government’s power over DC is not absolute, and it should not be exercised as such.”
Earlier this week, Trump invoked Section 740 of the 1973 Home Rule Act, granting him authority to federalize the MPD for up to 30 days under an emergency declaration. Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole was appointed as the city’s Emergency Police Commissioner, displacing Chief Pamela Smith. Schwalb’s lawsuit argues that the president is misapplying Section 740 and unlawfully using it as justification for a hostile takeover of the city’s police force.
“The Administration’s actions are brazenly unlawful. They go well beyond the bounds of the President’s limited authority and instead seek a hostile takeover of MPD. They infringe on the District’s right to self-governance and put the safety of DC residents and visitors at risk,” Schwalb claimed. “This is an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home. Our office will go to court to defend Home Rule, block the unlawful orders, and maintain MPD under District control.”
Despite Schwalb’s lawsuit, Trump’s crackdown is already well underway. Federal law enforcement agents from the FBI, DEA, U.S. Capitol Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives have joined forces with D.C. officers in sweeping operations across the city. Roughly 800 National Guard troops have also been deployed to assist with security, patrols, and public safety.
The move has drawn fierce opposition from local Democratic officials and sympathetic media outlets, who insist that crime in the capital is being exaggerated. Yet official data tells a different story. In 2024, D.C.’s homicide rate stood at 27.3 per 100,000 residents — the fourth-highest rate among major U.S. cities. Authorities in 2025 have already reported 541 assaults with a dangerous weapon, more than 900 robberies, and nearly 3,000 motor vehicle thefts. While city leaders point to declines compared to record-high spikes between 2020 and 2023, violent crime remains far above levels seen a decade ago.
For Trump and his administration, the message is clear: D.C. residents, federal workers, and tourists deserve law and order in the nation’s capital. With lawsuits mounting and arrests piling up, the fight over who controls Washington’s police force has become the latest flashpoint in the broader battle between Trump’s law-and-order agenda and the Democrats’ defense of so-called Home Rule.