In Exchange for Trinkets Quisling Muriel Bowser Bows Down to Trump. Still, Control Over the MPD is Unlawful w/o a Joint Resolution from Congress and Only If MPD is Used for Federal Purposes, Not Crime

AN ACCESSORY TO STUPIDITY. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) on Tuesday ordered indefinite coordination between the city and federal law enforcement officials, a powerful indication of her willingness to cooperate with President Donald Trump’s effort to take over public safety in the capital city.

Bowser issued an executive order that requires local coordination with federal law enforcement “to the maximum extent allowable by law within the District.” The order gives no expiration date.

By law, Trump’s federalization of the D.C. police force lasts 30 days and is set to expire next week. Bowser’s announcement hopes to quell any showdown over what happens after that deadline passes by authorizing continued coordination between the city and federal authorities.

Bowser, meanwhile, has gone out of her way to show Trump and his staff that she is a partner, not an adversary, in their vision for the city — even sharing draft language of the executive order with senior White House officials before signing it, according to two individuals who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private communications. Her police chief authorized enhanced cooperation with ICE, and in a news conference last week, Bowser publicly credited the president’s efforts with decreasing crime. She also has been generally affable during one-on-one conversations with Trump. [MORE]

However, Bowser is a bignorant quisling and unfamiliar the president’s limited authority over the DC government and the Home Rule Act, which is an act of Congress. Congress granted the President an exceedingly narrow role in the governance of the District. In Section 740 of the Home Rule Act, Congress provided that if the President “determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist,” the President may require that the Mayor “provide such services” of the Metropolitan Police Department as the President deems necessary for “federal purposes.” D.C. Code § 1-207.40(a). The President’s authority under Section 740 is sharply limited in time: it must terminate within 48 hours unless the President sends proper notice to Congress, and, in all events, it must terminate upon the expiration of the emergency or within 30 days, whichever comes first. Id. § 1-207.40(a)-(b). For the President to obtain MPD’s services for longer than 30 days—even in the face of an ongoing emergency—Congress must pass a joint resolution permitting the extension. Id. § 1-207.40(d).

Moreover, by its terms, Section 740 only permits the President to require the Mayor to “provide services” of MPD for “federal purposes.” Id. § 1-207.40(a). It does not permit the President to seize control of MPD. Nor does it authorize the President to direct MPD in the policing of local crime. Congress left that responsibility to local leaders. [MORE]