Senior Justice Department officials tapped by Trump to run Library of Congress are denied access

Two senior Justice Department officials appointed by President Donald Trump to run the Library of Congress were denied access on Monday, according to a person familiar with the interaction.

Two senior Justice Department officials appointed by President Donald Trump to run the Library of Congress were denied access on Monday, according to a person familiar with the interaction. Paul Perkins and Brian Nieves are expected to hold positions at the Library of Congress, according to the DOJ. Perkins will serve as acting register of copyrights in addition to his role as associate deputy attorney general, and Nieves will fill the role as acting deputy librarian of Congress as well as serving as chief of staff for Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Around 9 a.m. Monday, Nieves and Perkins showed up to the US Copyright Office in Washington with a letter announcing Blanche was being appointed to serve as acting librarian of Congress. They had a separate email outlining their appointments. The men “were not allowed into offices” and left later Monday morning, the person said. The person added that the Library of Congress, which is a legislative-branch agency, has not received direction from Congress on how to move forward. CNN has reached out to the Justice Department for comment on the letter and the interaction. As librarian of Congress, Blanche will replace Carla Hayden, who was fired by the White House last week. Hayden had served in the position since 2016 and had about a year and half left in her 10-year-term. She was the first woman and first Black person to serve in the role.