The top Democratic lawmaker on the Committee on House Administration is calling for an inspector general investigation into possible “improper communications” between the Trump administration and employees at the Library of Congress.
In a letter posted Monday by CBS News justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane, Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) urged Inspector General Kimberly Benoit to launch a formal review of what he described as troubling signs of executive overreach into the affairs of the legislative branch.
“The abrupt firing of Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden raises serious concerns that the executive branch is improperly targeting the Library and its employees with adverse employment actions,” Morelle wrote in his letter, adding that there may have also been “inappropriate requests for information, including but not limited to, confidential communications between congressional offices and the Library’s various service units.”
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Hayden, whose firing Thursday sparked widespread outrage, made history as both the first woman and the first African American to lead the national library, according to her bio.
“The Library is part of the legislative branch – an independent and coequal branch of government,” the New York Democrat added. “The executive branch has no authority to demand or receive confidential legislative data, and the Library has no legal basis to supply such information without authorization from Congress.”
The inspector general has not yet publicly responded to the request.
Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY), top Democrat on Committee on House Administration, requests inspector general review into the Trump Administration’s potentially “improper” communication with employees at the Library of Congress … and the firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. pic.twitter.com/QnDCnpiXQt
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) May 12, 2025