DEA chief to lead DC police as federal takes control for 30 days

In a move never before attempted for Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump announced that federal authorities would take direct control of the city’s police force for up to 30 days, supplementing that authority with the deployment of up to 800 National Guard troops. He said the federal government would “liberate” the capital from crime and disorder, and he named the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration to serve as the emergency police chief during the period. The actions were accompanied by a rapid ramping up of federal law enforcement on city streets and a growing debate over the limits of presidential authority in the capital, which operates under a unique Home Rule provision.

The administration’s moves have triggered immediate political and legal responses. Washington’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, filed suit to block the transfer of police authority, arguing that the president has exceeded the powers granted under the Home Rule Act, the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution. He contends that the district’s leadership—specifically the mayor and the police chief—must retain command of MPD, and he seeks an emergency restraining order. City officials...