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 on Thursday named the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Terry Cole, as Washington’s “emergency police commissioner” as she carries out President Donald Trump's unprecedented decision to take over the Washington police department.

The order effectively strips authority from the head of the Metropolitan Police Department days after Trump launched a federal crackdown on crime in the city.