AP Washington

The nation’s capital challenged President Donald Trump’s takeover of its police department in court on Friday, hours after his administration stepped up its crackdown on policing by naming a federal official as the new emergency head of the department, with all the powers of a police chief. 

District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a new lawsuit Trump is going far beyond his power under the law. Schwalb asked a judge to find that control of the department remains in district hands. 

“The administration’s un­lawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it,” Schwalb said.

The lawsuit comes after Trump Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Thursday night Drug Enforcement Admini­stration boss Terry Cole will assume “powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police.”

The Metropolitan Police Department “must receive approval from Commissioner Cole” before issuing any orders, Bondi said. It was unclear where the move left the city’s current police chief, Pamela Smith, who works for the mayor.