Trump fires Librarian of Congress Hayden
President Donald Trump on Thursday fired Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress – the first woman and first African American to hold the position. She was informed of the decision in a terse, two-sentence email.
Hayden was appointed in 2016 by President Barack Obama and her renewable 10-year term was set to expire next year. Hayden was also the first librarian by profession to be appointed to the job in decades. Typically, historians and scholars have led the Library of Congress.
“Carla,” read the email from the White House deputy director of presidential personnel, which was seen by the Washington Post. “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.”
In an internal email to staff at the library late Thursday, principal deputy librarian Robert Newlen said that he would assume the duties of acting Librarian of Congress until he received further instruction. “I want you to hear it from me first,” Newlen wrote, promising to “keep everyone informed.”
A spokesperson at the Library of Congress confirmed Hayden’s dismissal in an email but declined to elaborate further. Hayden and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the House minority leader, said in a statement that Hayden “is an accomplished, principled and distinguished” head of the library.
“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,” he said.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Connecticut), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, in a statement called for the White House to explain its decision.
“Every Member of Congress I know – Democratic or Republican – loves and respects Dr. Carla Hayden. A ‘fighter of freedom’ and a guardian of our nation’s truth and intellectual legacy, Dr. Hayden was just abruptly and callously fired by President Trump,” DeLauro said.
“Dr. Hayden’s tenure has been marked by a steadfast commitment to accessibility, modernization, and the democratization of knowledge. Her dismissal is not just an affront to her historic service but a direct attack on the independence of one of our most revered institutions.”
Hayden previously led Baltimore’s library system, the Enoch Pratt Free Library, and served as president of the American Library Association (ALA) from 2003 to 2004.
During her time at the ALA, she was best known for defending the privacy of library users’ records, publicly sparring with President George W. Bush’s Attorney General John Ashcroft over parts of the Patriot Act, the law that expanded government surveillance powers in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
During her confirmation hearing in April 2016, Republicans challenged her on this position, as well as the ALA’s opposition to a law that required libraries receiving federal funding to install internet filters that blocked pornography. Hayden said that the filters at the time would have restricted patrons’ access to health information and that the technology had since improved.
In recent days, a conservative advocacy organization, the American Accountability Foundation, had criticized Hayden as “woke” on social media. The organization’s director says it researches and identifies nonpartisan appointees whom it suspects will resist Trump’s policy goals, The Post has reported.
The Library of Congress, which was founded in 1800, is the research arm of Congress and the largest library in the world. It provides legal advice to its members, public programs and assistance to scholars, and operates the Copyright Office.