24 April—The Library of Congress was established on this day in 1800. Since the LOC is largely about books and literacy, it’s in no way surprising that Donald Trump hasn’t stuck his miserable name on it. But a few months after his inauspicious re-inauguration last year, the ignoramus-in-chief summarily fired the incumbent Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, on typically trumped-up pretexts including that it held “inappropriate” children’s books. Clearly just another tactic, another step in the Trump-MAGA autocratic—and sociopathic—effort to control American cultural, literary, and literacy institutions. As well as everything else.

It need only be noted that the LOC oversees the U.S. Copyright Office, which retains copies of all registered works for at least a limited period; the LOC is a research, rather than a circulating or lending, library; children under 16 must be accompanied by adults when they visit; and Dr. Hayden is black, was appointed by Barack Obama, and had about a year left in her 10-year term.

The Principal Deputy Librarian of Congress when Trump canned Dr. Hayden on 8 May 2025 was Robert Newlen, who had started work at the LOC in 1975. He had been appointed PDLOC by Hayden only on 29 March 2025. Immediately upon Hayden’s unceremonious dismissal, then, Newlen announced that he’d serve as acting Librarian of Congress “until further instruction.”

Newlen has never received that further instruction. But four days after canning Dr. Hayden, Trump appointed one of his loyal defense shysters whom he had made a deputy attorney general (i.e., one of his personal attack shysters on retainer at taxpayer expense), Todd Blanche, as acting Librarian of Congress. It’s questionable whether Blanche had—or, indeed, has—ever even visited the Library of Congress.

But why should that matter? It’s in no way a defense of Blanche’s appointment (or anything that Trump has done or may do) to point out that most Librarians of Congress, although highly literate and respected, have not in fact been librarians.

As things stand now, both Newlen and Blanche are acting Librarians of Congress. Because LOC staff and many others, including senators and representatives—mostly Democrats but even some Republicans with scrotal content and principles—consider Newlen to be rightfully in line for the position—which must be confirmed by the Senate, asserting that the LOC is a legislative branch agency, thus not subject to unilateral control by the executive branch. But Trump, as usual, doesn’t give a damn.

Also as things stand now, the Supreme Court, which has allowed Trump to get away with all manner of crap, has so far blocked his efforts to fire high-ranking LOC personnel—at least until after it rules on Trump v. Slaughter (probably in Trump’s favor) and Trump v. Cook (hopefully in Cook’s favor) this session.

Meanwhile, Trump, having fired Pam Bondi, has made Todd Blanche acting Attorney General and he’ll probably be confirmed by the pusillanimous Trumpublican Senate majority even though—or precisely because—he’s no more than a Trump toady and supported pardoning the 6 January insurrectionists and other criminals, among other offenses.

So are both Newlen and Blanche being paid as LOC librarians and is Blanche also being paid as AG? Even if Trump weren’t a corrupt, narcissistic, self-dealing, tyrannical grifter, he’s shown himself to be a totally incompetent chief executive . . .