Responding to a reporter's question about President DonaldTrump firing Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused her of "putting inappropriate books in the library for children."
"She was doing concerning things in the pursuit of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)," Leavitt said during a White House briefing on Friday, defending Hayden's termination.
The Librarian of Congress is the chief officer of the Library of Congress, selected by the president with the approval of the Senate, and serves a ten-year term. Hayden's term was set to expire next year.
Political commentators reacted to the press secretary's remarks and noted that the Library of Congress is not frequented by minors. According to the library's website, anyone aged 16 or older can become a member.
Author Jack Pitney wrote on X: "Inappropriate books for children? Ms. Leavitt does not know that you have to be at least 16 to use the Library of Congress. And you can't wander the shelves or check books out."
Journalist Lydia Polgreenmockingly said: "At least she admits some members of Congress are children."
Writer Joe Floodwrote: "Kids can’t check books out of the LOC. No one can! It’s a research library. There’s not much for kids unless they want to read the Federal Register."
Podcaster Hemant Mehtasaid: "They have no idea what her job was, do they."
User @GreekMediaHub wrote: "This is how fascism works. Slow to start, and then the walls start tumbling, one by one. Education. Books. Speech. Press. That sound is your rights crumbling away."
Hayden was the first woman and the first African American to be librarian of Congress.
Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House panel that oversees the Library of Congress, called Hayden "an American hero" who "has spent her entire career serving people—from helping kids learn to read to protecting some of our nation's most precious treasures."
On Thursday, the White House informed Hayden that she had been dismissed from her role, CNN reported, citing a spokesperson for the Library of Congress.
The exact cause of Hayden’s dismissal was not immediately known. Congressional Democrats quickly condemned the president's decision, saying he was aiming to censor books.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said Hayden's removal was “a disgrace and the latest in his ongoing effort to ban books, whitewash American history and turn back the clock.”
"There will be accountability for this unprecedented assault on the American way of life sooner rather than later," hesaid in a statement posted to the social platform X Thursday.