Report: Todd Blanche, Deputy Attorney General Who Defended Trump in Hush Money Trial Named Acting Librarian of Congress; Paul Perkins Named Acting Register of Copyrights and Director of the Copyright Office
UPDATE May 14, 2025 (2:45pm Eastern) The Library Of Congress is in Limbo as GOP Leaders Question a Trump Takeover (via Politico)
A White House push to seize control of the Library of Congress over the past week has run temporarily aground due to quiet but firm resistance from Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, according to three people granted anonymity to describe the sensitive situation.
Asked Wednesday who is in charge of the library, Thune said, “I’m not sure that’s been determined.”
Speaker Mike Johnson said in a brief interview that Trump “clearly has the authority to remove a Librarian of Congress” but acknowledged questions about filling the vacancy: “We want to make sure all the — you know, everything’s followed correctly.”
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UPDATE May 12, 2025 (5pm Eastern): Trump Is Trying to Take Control of Congress Through Its Library (via Rolling Stone)
An expert on the Library of Congress tells Rolling Stone that Trump’s takeover attempt is “dangerous,” given that the Library’s sub-agencies provide confidential legal advice to members of Congress and help police misconduct by lawmakers.
The expert says the Trump administration is actively trying to place a landing team at the Library of Congress, noting that when Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has done this elsewhere, the first thing that team does is hoover up and gain control over as much sensitive data as possible.
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UPDATE May 12, 2025 (4:15pm Eastern) Hill Leaders Question Trump’s Attempted Library of Congress Takeover
Top congressional leaders are pushing back against President Donald Trump’s attempt to replace two Library of Congress leaders, with the dispute over presidential powers over the institution leaving its future in question Monday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in a brief interview that congressional leaders “want to make sure we’re following precedent and procedure” in naming a replacement for Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress whom Trump dismissed Thursday.
Trump on Monday appointed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as acting Librarian of Congress, but the official now holding that post, Robert Randolph Newlen, did not immediately recognize the appointment as valid, according to an email Newlen sent to library employees.
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—End Update—
From the Associated Press:
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who represented Donald Trump during his 2024 criminal trial, has been appointed acting librarian of Congress, the Justice Department said Monday.
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Brian Nieves, a deputy chief of staff and senior counsel in Blanche’s office, was named acting assistant librarian, according to four people familiar with Blanche’s appointment. Paul Perkins, an associate deputy attorney general and veteran Justice Department attorney, is now the acting register of copyrights and director of the Copyright Office, the four people said.
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From Politico
A DOJ official said President Donald Trump appointed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as acting Libarian of Congress. But the official who now holds that post, Robert Randolph Newlen, disputed a change had been made in an email to library staff Monday morning.
“Congress is engaged with the White House and we have not received direction from Congress about how to move forward,” Newlen wrote in an internal email to Library of Congress employees.
Newlen took over as acting Librarian of Congress Thursday after Trump fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, cutting short her 10-year term.
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Additional Coverage
Filed under: Data Files, Interviews, Jobs, Libraries, News, Profiles
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
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