Library of Congress staffers block Trump officials' access, refuse to recognize Todd Blanche as acting head librarian: report

Two Trump officials tasked with undertaking work at the Library of Congress were blocked by staffers of that branch on Monday after President Donald Trump fired the head librarian on Friday. A source further told The New York Times that staffers were refusing to recognize Trump-appointed Todd Blanche as acting librarian of Congress.

President Trump fired Carla Hayden as head over wokeness and installed his former personal attorney and Assistant AG Blanche to head up the Library of Congress. Blanche sent two Justice Department Officials over to the Library of Congress on Monday with a letter letting administrators know that Paul Perkins and Brian Nieves would be heading up the US Copyright Office.

Library of Congress staffers refused to let the men in and called US Capitol Police. The library's General Counsel Meg Williams asked them to leave and told them they would be denied access to the Copyright Office. Staff, the Times said, "is recognizing Robert Newlen, the principal deputy librarian who was Dr. Hayden’s No. 2, as the acting librarian until it gets direction from Congress."

Newlen had sent an email to staff on Monday stating that though the White House had named a new acting librarian to replace Hayden, it was all still a bit up in the air. That email read: "Currently, Congress is engaged with the White House, and we have not yet received direction from Congress about how to move forward. We will share additional information as we receive it." But his sign off read "acting librarian of Congress."

Staffers at the Library of Congress insisted, The New York Times writes, "that Congress must have input." Their refusal to let Perkins and Nieves have access led to "a brief standoff" as a new circumstance in which judges will likely have to decide where executive and legislative power begin and end unfolds.

Perkins is an assoicate deputy attorney general who was tasked by Blanche with serving the library in the capacity of acting register of copyrights and the director of the Copyright Office while Nieves, a deputy chief of staff, was meant to become acting deputy librarian.

New York Rep. Joseph D. Morelle teamed up with California Rep. Alex Padilla to issue a statement saying "It is extremely concerning that Trump sent executive branch officials from the Department of Justice to take over a legislative branch agency."

"Congress must stand up for Article I of the Constitution and defend the nonpartisan Library and the legislative branch from White House political control," they went on. They want an investigation into what, if anything, the Department of Government Efficiency has had access to at the library.

Hayden, who has served as the librarian since 2016, was the person responsible for letting pop star Lizzo play James Madison's flute at a big concert. She was also accused by the Trump administration of having provided "inappropriate books in the library for children." The library does have a children's reading room but is essentially a research library.

Hayden recently testified during a House hearing on Oversight of the Library of Congress, at which she testified about the digitization efforts of the library. She spoke of the library's "key initiatives" of "expanding access, enhancing services, strenthening capacity, and fostering innovation." The library, founded in 1800, has just celebrated 225 years.