Donald Trump accused of ‘executive overreach,’ faces criticism from Democrats AND Republicans

President Donald Trump’s sudden firing of Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden, the first woman and first African American to hold the job, and his quick appointment of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as temporary leader have caused strong bipartisan criticism in Congress.

Lawmakers are voicing serious worries about how this affects the Constitution and the possible danger to the balance of power between government branches, per the Washington Post. Dr. Hayden was removed after serving nine years of her ten-year term. The White House did not give any public reason for the decision. To replace her, the President chose Mr. Blanche, his personal lawyer in current criminal cases.

Mr. Blanche, who is still working at the Justice Department, has no experience in library science, according to MSNBC. This move has led to an unusual moment of bipartisan agreement in Congress. “It’s the Library of Congress, not the library of the executive branch. This is an example of executive overreach,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) said. Trump also recently fired the Copyright Office head.

Library of Congress firing has caught the attention of Congress

Lawmakers state that control of the Library of Congress, which is part of the legislative branch, belongs to its top career official, Robert R. Newlen. Mr. Newlen told Library staff that he was now the acting leader, saying there had been no formal instruction from Congress about the change in leadership.

The dispute is mainly about the separation of powers. Congress argues that the President’s actions show executive overreach, weakening the legislative branch’s control over an institution vital to its work. The Library of Congress includes the Congressional Research Service, which provides lawmakers with important and sometimes private information.

The Library of Congress’s reaction has been noteworthy. Reports say that the library’s legal team blocked Justice Department employees sent by Mr. Blanche from entering the Congressional Research Service’s main library. This shows the institution’s pushback against the President’s claimed authority.

This is not the first time something like this has happened. The Trump administration has a history of assigning officials to multiple, often unrelated, roles. Examples include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also temporarily serves as White House national security advisor and acting national archivist; Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, who at the same time is acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who also holds temporary positions as director of the Office of Special Counsel and the Office of Government Ethics.