WASHINGTON — House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James R. Comer canceled a scheduled hearing aimed at examining the local response to a pro-Palestinian encampment at George Washington University after police cleared the area early Wednesday.

The hearing, which was slated for Wednesday afternoon, was announced last week after reports that District of Columbia police defied calls from school administrators to disperse protesters. The GW encampment is one of dozens erected in the last month to protest the war between Israel and Hamas.

Comer, R-Ky., issued a statement Wednesday announcing the cancellation and citing a “good conversation” he’d had that morning with Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser.

“It was unfortunate the situation at GW forced the Oversight Committee to act; however it was apparent that the DC police force was not going to do their job. … I am pleased that the potential Oversight hearing led to swift action by Mayor Bowser and MPD Chief [Pamela] Smith,” Comer said.

Bowser, at a Wednesday morning press conference, said Comer “expressed his interest in making sure the city and the chief could focus on this ongoing operation.”

“Congressman Comer indicated that he thought our energies today should be on our ongoing operations. I agreed,” Bowser said.

While supporters of the encampments across the country say they’re mostly peaceful demonstrations, opponents have characterized them as hotbeds of antisemitism. And they’ve been met with varying degrees of police force. Violent clashes between protesters and counter-protesters, or between protesters and law enforcement, at schools like Columbia University and UCLA have only ramped up attempts by school administrators and elected officials to try to restore order.

Smith, the Metropolitan Police chief, said at the press conference that there were 33 arrests for charges including unlawful entry and assault on a police officer. She said it wasn’t clear whether protests would be permitted on campus going forward.

“That’s the [university] president’s decision to determine if she will allow protests in other areas of the campus,” Smith said. “But as of now, the area that we have secured, there will be no protests in that area.”

Republicans have repeatedly called on Democrats and school leaders to quell the protests.

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