Trump (R) chose Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche (R) the No. 2 Official at the Justice Department (DOJ), to also Serve as the Acting Head of the Library of Congress. Blanche would assume the Acting Role days after Trump Fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden (D), Nine years into Her 10-year Term. Blanche would be the latest Trump Administration Official to hold Dual Titles in different Agencies, as Trump Ousts Top Officials across the Government. The Administration has Not explained how these New Leaders would Split their time and Lead multiple Agencies with Distinct Mandates.
Several Democratic Members of Congress called Monday, for more Scrutiny of the White House’s Interactions with the Library of Congress, while a Lawyer who used to Work with the Agency said, it could be Problematic for the DOJ to have Visibility into Communications between the Library’s Research Arm and U.S. Lawmakers. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R), for example, has several Temporary Titles, including Interim National Security Adviser, Head of the Largely Dismantled U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Acting National Archivist. And Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll (R) is also serving as the Interim Head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), a Role briefly held by FBI Director Kash Patel (R).
As Head of the Library of Congress, Blanche would Oversee Thousands of Employees and Archives containing more than 178 million items, including Rare Books, Medieval Manuscripts, and a Perfect Vellum copy of the Gutenberg Bible. He would also Oversee the U.S. Copyright Office, which is Part of the Library of Congress.
Trump ousted the Head of the Copyright Office, Shira Perlmutter (D), on Saturday, days after Perlmutter Released a 100-page-plus Report on Artificial Intelligence, that raised Concerns about using Copyrighted Materials to train AI systems. The Report was seen by some as Undercutting Trump Ally Musk (I), who has called for fewer Intellectual Property Laws, so He is Free use all the Information for Free.
It is unclear how Blanche would Shape the Library of Congress as its Temporary Leader. Two Officials from His Office at the Justice Department showed up to the Library on Monday morning, as part of the Transition to Blanche’s Leadership, the DOJ Official familiar with the Situation said. Those Two People will also simultaneously Hold Jobs in the DOJ and the Library of Congress. As Deputy Attorney General, Blanche is involved in nearly every aspect of the DOJ, running the Day-to-Day Operations of the Massive Law Enforcement Agency and Supervising and Directing All its Units.
Daniel Schuman, a former Attorney for the Congressional Research Service, said Access to the Library’s Materials would include a view into Communications between Congressional Offices and Attorneys and Researchers stretching back Decades, including Requests for Legal Advice on Legislation Not yet filed. “You can’t have the executive branch seeing the advice that Congress is getting from its own staff,” said Schuman, who now Directs the Nonprofit American Governance Institute.
Six Democratic Members of Congress Signed a Letter to the Library of Congress’s Inspector General on Monday. calling for an Investigation into whether the White House has had Inappropriate Communications with Library of Congress Staff Members, including the “unauthorized transfer of congressional or Library data to executive branch agencies and personnel.”
“The abrupt firing of Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden raises serious concerns that the executive branch is improperly targeting the Library and its employees with adverse employment actions and inappropriate requests for information including, but not limited to, confidential communications between congressional offices and the Library’s various service units,” said the Letter, written by Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-NY, 25th District), a Member of the House Administration Committee.
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