Carla Hayden was the first woman and the first African American to be librarian of Congress.
WASHINGTON D.C., DC — In a sudden decision, President Donald Trump dismissed Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on Thursday, as the White House continues to remove individuals from federal government roles who are perceived as opposing the president and his policies.
According to an email obtained by The Associated Press, Hayden was informed late Thursday via email from the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office. Having been confirmed by the Senate in 2016, Hayden was notable as the first woman and the first African American to serve as the Librarian of Congress.
The email started with “Carla,” and continued, “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.” A representative for the Library of Congress verified that the White House had communicated Hayden’s dismissal.
Hayden, whose 10-year term was set to expire next year, had come under backlash from a conservative advocacy group that accused her and other library leaders of promoting children’s books with “radical” content and literary material authored by Trump opponents.
“The current #LibrarianOfCongress Carla Hayden is woke, anti-Trump, and promotes trans-ing kids,” the group, American Accountability Foundation, said on its X account earlier Thursday, just hours before the firing was made public. “It’s time to get her OUT and hire a new guy for the job!”
The unexpected move infuriated congressional Democrats, who initially disclosed the firing.
Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Hayden was “callously fired” by Trump and demanded an explanation from the administration as to why she was dismissed.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., applauded Hayden as “an accomplished, principled and distinguished Librarian of Congress.”
“Donald Trump’s unjust decision to fire Dr. Hayden in an email sent by a random political hack is a disgrace and the latest in his ongoing effort to ban books, whitewash American history and turn back the clock,” Jeffries said. “The Library of Congress is the People’s Library. There will be accountability for this unprecedented assault on the American way of life sooner rather than later.”
At a gala Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio joked that he has assumed three other positions in the Trump administration as national security adviser, acting archivist and acting director of the U.S. Agency for International Development. During his remarks at the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute event, he said leading the Library of Congress “would be a good job,” then paused and jokingly proposed Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart for the position.
“You know what would be good? Library of Congress. That would be a good job,” Rubio said. “Acting librarian Mario Diaz-Balart. Do you want it?”
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