President Donald Trump's onetime defense attorney has been appointed acting librarian of Congress. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche replaces longtime librarian Carla Hayden, whom the White House fired last week amid criticism from some conservatives that she was advancing a “woke” agenda.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who represented Donald Trump during his 2024 criminal trial, has been appointed acting Librarian of Congress, the Justice Department said Monday.

Rep. Joe Morelle, a New York Democrat, on Monday called the firing of the librarian of Congress and removal of the Copyright Office director an “assault on Congressional authority and independence.”