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.

D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith will remain in control of the Metropolitan Police Department after D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit Friday challenging what he called an unlawful attempt by the federal government to seize control of the city’s police force.

The order by a federal official to replace the police chief of the Metropolitan Police Department on an "emergency" basis has been deemed unlawful by D.C.'s AG.