Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and several other high ranking federal officials are expected to meet later on Tuesday following the executive order issued by President Donald Trump to federalize the district's police force, according to CNN.
Trump announced Monday that Washington, D.C.'s, police would be put under federal control, and National Guard troops have been deployed after a public safety emergency. Using temporary powers from the Home Rule Act of 1973, the president can oversee the police for up to 30 days, but any extension would need congressional approval or a legal amendment.
In addition to Bowser and Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, U.S. Marshal Service Director Gady Serralta, Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole, and Metropolitan Police Chief Pam Smith would be in attendance Tuesday, according to sources familiar with the meeting.
Bowser described Trump's decision to take over the city's police department as "unsettling and unprecedented." During a press conference, Bowser disputed Trump's justification for declaring a crime emergency, noting that crime rates had been trending down after a post-pandemic spike.
"It is true that those were more challenging times related to some issues," she said. "It is also true that we experienced a crime spike post-COVID, but we worked quickly to put laws in place and measures that got violent offenders off the streets and gave our police officers more tools, which is why we have seen a huge decrease in crime."
She acknowledged Trump's authority under the Home Rule Act but emphasized that the city's police officers still reported to her. Bowser also highlighted the need for D.C. statehood to prevent such federal interventions in the future. Despite her concerns, she indicated a willingness to cooperate with federal authorities, adding, "I'm going to work every day to make sure it's not a complete disaster. Let me put it that way."
Bowser has chosen to find a balanced approach in dealing with Trump as she is forced to follow federal law while also serving a city that voted more than 90% for former Vice President Kamala Harris.
"My message to residents is this: We know that access to our democracy is tenuous — that is why you have heard me and many Washingtonians before me advocate for full statehood for the District of Columbia," Bowser said, "and while this action today is unsettling and unprecedented, I can't say that given some of the rhetoric of the past that we're totally surprised."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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