NEW YORK >> Outgoing U.S. poet laureate Ada Limón and her two immediate predecessors, Joy Harjo and Tracy K. Smith, are condemning President Donald Trump’s firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who had appointed each of them to their positions.

“Dr. Carla Hayden is the kindest, brightest, most generous Librarian of Congress we could have hoped for as a nation,” Limón, who last month completed a three-year run as poet laureate, said in a statement on Friday.

“She promoted books, libraries, and curiosity while dedicating herself to serving both sides of the aisle with genuine grace. I am heartbroken as the cruelty of this administration continues with seemingly no end in sight. She is the best of us and deserves the utmost respect. I hope people are paying attention. What we once feared is already happening.”

The library, which is an outgrowth of Thomas Jefferson’s personal collection of books, contains a vast archive of the nation’s books and history.

Hayden, whose 10-year term was scheduled to end next year, was notified late Thursday that she had been fired, according to an email obtained by The Associated Press.

On Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Hayden “did not meet the needs of the American people.”

“There were quite concerning things at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI, and putting inappropriate books in the library for children,” Leavitt told reporters during a briefing. “And we don’t believe she was serving the interest of the American taxpayer well, so she has been removed from her position, and the president is well within his rights to do that.”

Confirmed by the Senate in 2016, Hayden was the first woman and the first African American to be the librarian of Congress. U.S. poets laureate are employees of the Library of Congress, generally serve one to three years in the role and may not “take political positions in their official capacity while serving as laureate,” according to the library’s website.