WASHINGTON — The White House has named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as acting librarian of Congress, the Department of Justice confirmed Monday.

Blanche is a former personal attorney of President Donald Trump and replaces Carla Hayden, the longtime librarian of Congress whom Trump fired last week.

His appointment comes days after the White House fired another top official at the legislative branch agency, U.S. Copyright Office head Shira Perlmutter, whose office is housed within the Library of Congress.

“You can’t name an executive branch official to head a legislative branch agency. It is unconstitutional, illegal and imprudent,” said Daniel Schuman, executive director of the American Governance Institute and a former employee of the Congressional Research Service, which is also part of the Library of Congress.

Democrats have questioned the validity of Trump’s terminations of Hayden and Perlmutter. While the president appoints librarians of Congress with Senate confirmation, the copyright office head is appointed by the librarian.

“Donald Trump’s termination of Register of Copyrights, Shira Perlmutter, is a brazen, unprecedented power grab with no legal basis,” said Rep. Joseph D. Morelle, D-N.Y., ranking member on the House Administration Committee, in a statement. “This action once again tramples on Congress’s Article One authority and throws a trillion-dollar industry into chaos. When will my Republican colleagues decide enough is enough?”

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