logo
Fired US Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden speaks out, details abrupt dismissal

Fired US Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden speaks out, details abrupt dismissal

Mint08-06-2025
Carla Hayden, the first woman and African American to serve as the US Librarian of Congress, revealed she has had no direct contact with the Trump administration over her sudden dismissal in May.
'No one has talked to me directly at all from the White House,' Hayden told correspondent Robert Costa. 'I've received no communication directly, except for that one email. That's the only communication,' Hayden said in an exclusive interview with CBS News.
Hayden described the abrupt manner in which she was removed from her post, which she held since 2016 after being appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate. On May 8, she received a brief email stating: '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. Thank you for your service.'
Asked if her tenure truly ended with 'one missive that's electronic,' she confirmed, 'That was it.' Hayden added, 'I was never notified beforehand and after.'
The Trump administration justified the dismissal partly over Hayden's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts at the Library of Congress. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on May 10: 'There were quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the library for children.'
Leavitt added, 'She has been removed from her position, and the president is well within his rights to do that.'
Hayden faced political pressure from the conservative advocacy group American Accountability Foundation (AAF), which accused her and other library leaders of promoting children's books with 'radical content' and literature opposing President Trump. Hours before the firing announcement, the AAF called Hayden 'woke' and 'anti-Trump' on its X account, demanding, 'It's time to get her OUT.'
As Librarian of Congress, Hayden oversaw management and policy for the nation's largest library, which serves Congress and the public with vast collections of books, historical papers, rare artifacts, and archives of presidential and Supreme Court documents.
Her removal marks one of several dismissals of federal officials perceived as misaligned with Trump's agenda during his second term.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Want Elon to thrive like never before: Trump walks back on threats to Musk
Want Elon to thrive like never before: Trump walks back on threats to Musk

India Today

time13 minutes ago

  • India Today

Want Elon to thrive like never before: Trump walks back on threats to Musk

Following the recent fallout with business tycoon Elon Musk, US President Donald Trump has softened his stance on the SpaceX owner and said that he wants him and his businesses to thrive. In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump refuted claims that he will destroy Elon Musk's companies by withdrawing the large-scale subsidies received by his companies from the US clarified that he wants Musk and all businesses within the United States to thrive like never before."Everyone is stating that I will destroy Elon's companies by taking away some, if not all, of the large scale subsidies he receives from the U.S. Government. This is not so! I want Elon, and all businesses within our Country, to THRIVE, in fact, THRIVE like never before!" he wrote. He also wrote that the growth of the US depends on the growth of the nation's businesses and the whole country will benefit out of it."The better they do, the better the USA does, and that's good for all of us. We are setting records every day, and I want to keep it that way!" said this month, Trump dismissed Elon Musk's move to launch a new political outfit called the America Party, calling it 'ridiculous'. He had also warned that it would only sow confusion in the country's political system."It's ridiculous to start a third party. We have tremendous success with the Republican Party. The Democrats have lost their way, but it's always been a two-party system. Third parties have never worked, so he can have fun with it, but I think it's ridiculous," Trump told between Musk and Trump intensified in recent weeks, largely sparked by Trump's sweeping new legislation, dubbed the 'One Big Beautiful Bill', which passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law on July 4, drawing sharp criticism from who previously served in a key advisory capacity and led cost-cutting efforts through the Department of Government Efficiency, criticised Trump's tax and spending bill for potentially adding USD 3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next ten years.- Ends

Massive setback for Donald Trump: Appeals court strikes down birthright citizenship order nationwide
Massive setback for Donald Trump: Appeals court strikes down birthright citizenship order nationwide

Mint

time13 minutes ago

  • Mint

Massive setback for Donald Trump: Appeals court strikes down birthright citizenship order nationwide

A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that President Donald Trump's executive order aiming to curtail automatic birthright citizenship is unconstitutional, blocking its enforcement nationwide. The decision marks a major legal blow to Trump's immigration agenda and could set the stage for another showdown at the US Supreme Court. In a 2-1 decision, the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an earlier ruling by a federal judge in Seattle, declaring that Trump's directive violated the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment. 'The court agrees that the president cannot redefine what it means to be American with the stroke of a pen,' said Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, whose state led the legal challenge. The executive order had sought to deny US citizenship to children born on American soil unless at least one parent was a US citizen or lawful permanent resident. Despite a recent Supreme Court ruling that curtailed the power of lower courts to issue nationwide injunctions, the 9th Circuit allowed the broader block, saying anything less would fail to protect the four states involved—Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon. 'It is impossible to avoid this harm absent a uniform application of the citizenship clause throughout the United States,' wrote US Circuit Judge Ronald Gould, who authored the majority opinion. Gould, joined by Judge Michael Hawkins, argued that limiting the injunction geographically would force states to revise government benefits programs in anticipation of families relocating from areas where the order was active. In a dissenting opinion, Judge Patrick Bumatay, a Trump appointee, contended that the plaintiff states lacked standing to sue and warned that the decision risked "judicial overreach." Trump's 2019 executive order directed federal agencies to refuse to recognize the US citizenship of children born on US soil to non-citizen parents who lacked green cards or American citizenship. The Constitution's Citizenship Clause says: 'All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens…' The case originated from a ruling by Judge John Coughenour, a Reagan appointee in Seattle, who became the first to halt the order. In his ruling, Coughenour called Trump's directive 'blatantly unconstitutional,' a position now affirmed by the appellate court. Trump's legal team could now appeal directly to the Supreme Court or request a broader review by the full 9th Circuit panel.

‘Baseless, threatening allegations': EC hits back at Rahul Gandhi over Karnataka LS poll ‘cheating' remark
‘Baseless, threatening allegations': EC hits back at Rahul Gandhi over Karnataka LS poll ‘cheating' remark

Mint

time13 minutes ago

  • Mint

‘Baseless, threatening allegations': EC hits back at Rahul Gandhi over Karnataka LS poll ‘cheating' remark

The Election Commission of India on Thursday did not waste any time in issuing fiery responses to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'cheating' allegations. The Leader of Opposition had accused the poll panel of 'allowing cheating' in a constituency in Karnataka, adding that the Congress had 'concrete 100 per cent proof' of it. Hours after the Congress leader made these remarks, ECI spokesperson on Thursday said that all electoral rolls are prepared transparently and copies were shared with recognised political parties. 'ECI is wondering as to why such baseless and threatening allegations are being made against CEC and that too now?' the poll panel asked. The ECI spokesperson further said that as far as electoral rolls of Karnataka Lok Sabha 2024 are concerned, 'not a single appeal' was filed with the District Magistrate of the Chief Election Officer of Karnataka. '⁠As far as conduct of Lok Sabha elections 2024 are concerned, out of 10 Election Petitions, not a single Election Petition was filed by any loosing INC candidate,' the ECI spokesperson added. Rahul Gandhi severely criticised the poll body over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, warning the opposition would not let them get away with the exercise. "I want to send a message to the Election Commission: If you think you are going to get away with it, if your officers think they are going to get away with it, you are mistaken. You are not going to get away with it, because we are going to come for you," the Lok Sabha LoP told reporters outside Parliament, just after the Lok Sabha was adjourned. He accused the ECI of indulging in "cheating" during the voter list revision process in a Karnataka constituency. Gandhi claimed to have "100 per cent" proof of the alleged manipulation, which involves adding and deleting voters, but hasn't presented any evidence yet, an ANI report said. "Today, we have 100 per cent proof of the Election Commission allowing cheating in a seat in Karnataka. When we decide to show it to you, it is 100 per cent proof. We just looked at one constituency and we found this. I am absolutely convinced that, constituency after constituency, this is the drama. Thousands of new votes, aged 50 or 60, or 65 (are there) in one constituency. Then, voter deletion, people who are way above 18," he said. The opposition parties, including Congress and the Samajwadi Party, have been protesting against the SIR exercise, alleging that it's an attempt to disenfranchise voters, particularly from marginalised communities. They claim that the process is being used to remove names from the voters' list, which could impact the outcome of upcoming assembly elections, the ANI report added. Reiterating the claim that the poll panel is not fulfilling its duties, the Lok Sabha LoP added, "I said this yesterday too; this is a very serious matter. The Election Commission is not functioning as the Election Commission of India. Today they made some statement; this is complete nonsense. The fact of the matter is that the Election Commission is not doing its job." Rahul Gandhi, along with other opposition MPs like Akhilesh Yadav and DMK MP TR Baalu, held protests in Parliament premises, raising slogans against the Election Commission and the BJP-led NDA government. The MPs held posters that read "SIR is the murder of democracy" and "Justice, Justice, Justice", demonstrating their strong opposition to the SIR exercise. The poll body has defended the revision process, stating that it's aimed at ensuring the purity of elections by removing ineligible voters from the rolls. The commission has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, affirming its authority to verify citizenship details in the interest of electoral integrity.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store