Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, President Trump’s former lead attorney in his New York hush money case, has been tapped as acting librarian of Congress, The Hill has learned.
A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed the appointment in a text to The Hill later Monday, only a few days after Trump fired former Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Hayden had been the first woman and the first African American in her former role.
Hayden’s recent ouster drew backlash from Democrats, with Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) saying on Thursday that the former librarian of Congress “brought the Library of Congress to the people, with initiatives that reached into rural communities and made the Library accessible to all Americans, in person and online.”
“While President Trump wants to ban books and tell Americans what to read – or not to read at all, Dr. Hayden has devoted her career to making reading and the pursuit of knowledge available to everyone,” Henrich added.
Blanche, who has prior experience as a federal prosecutor and a top white-collar criminal defense attorney, was announced as a nominee for deputy attorney general by the president back in November.
“Todd is an excellent attorney who will be a crucial leader in the Justice Department, fixing what has been a broken System of Justice for far too long,” Trump said about Blanche at the time.
The Hill has reached out to the Library of Congress for comment.
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