Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, was removed from her position by President Donald Trump.
She received an email notification about her termination late Thursday from the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office.The email stated, “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your role as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.”
Hayden has served in this position since 2016 and made history as the first woman and African American to do so.
Her dismissal drew criticism from the conservative group American Accountability Foundation, which accused her and other library leaders of supporting children’s books with “radical” themes and literature by Trump critics.
The announcement of Hayden’s firing sparked outrage among prominent Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Hakeem Jeffries condemned the decision, stating that Mr. Trump’s “unjust choice to terminate Dr. Hayden in an email from a random political operative is a disgrace and part of his ongoing effort to ban books, distort American history, and reverse progress.”
Robert Newlen, the principal deputy librarian, stated that he would serve as the interim librarian of Congress “until further notice.”
