Republicans resist Trump's takeover at Library of Congress as party question unrestrained power

Leaders of the Republican Party have reportedly thwarted U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to take control of the Library of Congress after the firing of the head librarian

Leaders of the Republican Party have reportedly thwarted U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to take control of the Library of Congress. After four months of allowing the White House free rein in shuttering various agencies or cancelling federal grants, GOP lawmakers have barred Trump from interfering at the institution ... for now.

It was reported by several people close to the lawmakers that Trump is facing a low level of resistance from the Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune. While they have not challenged the president on the firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden last week, they have begun to question how much power the man has in naming a successor.

Three sources, who have asked to remain anonymous, told POLITICO that Trump's intended lead of the library, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, ascention to the position in a state of limbo. Both Johnson and Thune have also begun looking into how much authority Trump would have in naming other library officials, including the nation’s top copyright official.

Reports indicate that when asked who was in charge of the library, Thune said, “I’m not sure that’s been determined.” During a brief interview, Johnson said that Trump “clearly has the authority to remove a Librarian of Congress." The Speaker of the House also acknowledged questions about the vacancy and told reporters, “We want to make sure all the — you know, everything’s followed correctly.”

Reports indicate that officials' vague answers have left a path open for Blanche, the former personal attorney of the president, to take over the world's largest library and its 162 million cataloged items. According to Thune, Blanche's team met with the staff of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, which oversees the library, on Tuesday.

Thune stated that the groups "worked through some of the issues and questions that we had concerns about.” Thune added, "So I don’t know, officially … whether he’s in there yet or not."

On Wednesday, Thune added to the picture by stating that the "consultations" are ongoing and that he expects "more discussions about it next week." The statement comes as Trump and several members of his cabinet are due back from the Middle East.

Hayden, the previous head of the Library of Congress, was fired on Friday. The White House claimed that she "did not fit the needs of the American people."

During the press briefing, one journalist asked press secretary Karoline Leavitt, "The president fired the librarian of Congress. Why did he choose to do that?" Not breaking her momentum, Leavitt, 27, swiftly answered the question.

"We felt that she did not fit the needs of the American people," Leavitt answered. "There were quite concerning things she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the library for children."

According to Leavitt, the administration believed that she "did not serve the interest of the American taxpayer well, so she has been removed from her position. The statement concluded that Trump was "well within his rights" to fire Hayden.

It was reported by Politico that Hayden was removed from her post over a very short and to-the-point email. "Carla, 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," the Deputy Director of Presidential Personnel, Trent Morse, tersely wrote. The letter concluded with, "Thank you for your service."

Hayden's dismissal reportedly caused outrage among congressional Democrats. Rep. Joe Morelle, the top Democrat who oversees the library, slammed Trump for “firing a patriotic public servant.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries further condemned the firing, calling Trump's decision “unjust” and a “disgrace.” Senator Martin Heinrich from New Mexico issued a fiery statement on Twitter, claiming that the president was "taking his assault on America’s libraries to a new level.”