(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Tech publication WIRED reported Monday that Capitol Police blocked two newly appointed Trump administration officials from entering the U.S. Copyright Office, where they’re supposed to work.
“The two men who tried to enter the Copyright Office showed security at the building a document stating that they had been appointed by the White House to new roles within the office. The source identified the men as Brian Nieves, who claimed he was the new deputy librarian, and Paul Perkins, who said he was the new acting director of the Copyright Office, as well as acting register,” WIRED reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
DOJ has confirmed Brian Nieves and Paul Perkins' appointments to WIRED, but declined to comment on whether they tried to enter the USCO office this morning https://t.co/6mS3eBNu91
— Kate Knibbs 🏄🏻♀️ (@Knibbs) May 12, 2025
“Capitol Police prevented the men from entering the copyright office, but a spokesperson for the law enforcement agency denied that officers escorted anyone out or denied them entry.”
The Capitol Police’s bizarre move to reportedly block Nieves and Perkins from their office comes on the heels of Trump firing Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who was the first woman and the first black person to hold the position, as well as Shira Perlmutter, who was the copyright office director since 2020.
Critics have argued that Trump didn’t have the power to fire Perlmutter because the Librarian of Congress, not the executive branch, is responsible for appointing the Copyright Register.
“The president has as much legal power to fire the Register of Copyrights as I do, which is to say: none,” Meredith Rose, legal counsel for intellectual property nonprofit Public Knowledge, said in a statement, as reported by WIRED.
The DOJ reportedly confirmed to WIRED that Nieves and Perkins had been appointed to lead the Copyright Office, but declined to comment about the purported incident with Capitol Police. The White House also didn’t respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
