Trump admin updates: Trump teases 'big day' at White House

Attorney General Pam Bondi's directive asserting control of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department "would upend the command structure" of Washington's police force, "endangering the safety of the public and law enforcement officers alike," Metropolitan Police Chief Pam Smith said in an extraordinary filing seeking an emergency restraining order against the government.

"In my nearly three decades in law enforcement, I have never seen a single government action that would cause a greater threat to law and order than this dangerous directive," Smith said in a filing accompany the D.C. Attorney general's request for a temporary restraining order.

The filing follows days of Washington's city leadership, including Smith herself, taking a moderated tone surrounding Trump's invocation of the Home Rule Act to assume control of the city's police force.

While Smith and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser have said repeatedly this week that Trump's order did not relegate their authority over the Washington police department, Bondi's Thursday directive would effectively strip Smith of any command authority and mandate she receive permission from Drug Enforcement Administrator Terry Cole before issuing any commands to officers.

"Requiring literally every directive to receive approval from Administrator Cole prior to issuance as required by the Bondi Order would effectively freeze public safety operations in the District of Columbia," Smith said.

-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson, Luke Barr, Alexander Mallin

D.C. District judge Ana Reyes has scheduled an emergency hearing for 2 p.m. Friday on D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb's request for a restraining order against U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's directive assuming control over the Metropolitan Police Department.

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin

The city filed a request for a temporary restraining order on Friday, seeking to block U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's order to remove Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith.

The D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb alleges that "the District will suffer devastating and irreparable harms" unless the court intervenes.

The filing says "the Bondi Order violates the Administrative Procedure Act because it is contrary to law, in excess of the Agency Defendants' statutory authority, arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and otherwise not in accordance with the law."

The filing also asserts that the "Defendants' actions also exceed their authority under the D.C. Home Rule Act and violate the separation of powers, Take Care Clause, and District Clause of the Constitution."

-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's order to remove Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith. The city's top lawyer is requesting an afternoon hearing in District Court and an emergency temporary restraining order on Friday.

They claim Bondi used a never-before-used provision of the Home Rule Act to assert federal command over D.C's police force, exceeding the limited authority the president has under the emergency order.

Bondi issued an order Thursday evening formally codifying the federal government's takeover of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department and designating the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration Terry Cole as "Emergency Police Commissioner."

The lawsuit asks the court to declare that the administration's actions are in violation of the Home Rule Act, the Administrative Procedure Act and the U.S. Constitution. The city is also asking to block Bondi's order, and allow control over the police agency to remain with the mayor.

Schwalb said in a statement to ABC News, "By declaring a hostile takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its limited, temporary authority under the Home Rule Act, infringing on the District's right to self-governance and putting the safety of DC residents and visitors at risk."

"The Administration's unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call D.C. home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it," he added.

-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson