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.

Attorney General Pam Bondi tapped the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chief Thursday to serve as Washington’s “emergency police commissioner,” a move to wrest power from the District’s current police chief amid the Trump administration’s law enforcement takeover.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a directive issued Thursday evening that DEA 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,

"Commissioner Cole shall assume all of the powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police," Pam Bondi said on Aug. 14.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced that DEA Administrator Terrence Cole will temporarily serve as the chief of Washington, D.C.'s police department.

Tension in the nation's capital escalated over the question of who controls the city's police department after Washington, D.C.'s Attorney General sued over the White House's bid for full control.

President Donald Trump announced earlier this week the decision to federalize Washington, D.C., as he cited crime and violence.

President Donald Trump pledged Wednesday to make Washington "crime-free" as he spoke at the Kennedy Center."We're going to be essentially crime-free. This is going to be a beacon, and it's going to also serve as an example of what can be done,