GOP lawmakers join White House in blasting Smithsonian over its portrayal of history

WASHINGTON - Republican members of the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday grilled the director of the National Museum of American History, pressing her on allegations contained in a recent White House report painting her as a "radical activist" intent on undermining "faith in American institutions."

That report, released on Independence Day, argued that the National Museum of American History did not properly tell the story of the nation's founders.

Instead, it said, the museum and its director, Dr. Anthea Hartig, chose to frequently cast the nation's story in a negative light, overemphasizing slavery and other controversial social issues.

The Museum of American History wasn’t the only target of the White House Domestic Policy Council's 162-page report. It says the entire Smithsonian Institution has failed to meet "its obligations to the American people."

But the history museum came in for its most withering critiques. 

Those critiques continued Tuesday as Hartig appeared before the committee in the hope of clearing the air and clarifying the museum's mission.

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., however, quickly made plain the committee's intention was to determine "how a once-proud American institution fell victim to ideological capture," and to determine what can be done to "rescue it."

Throughout the hearing, Republican members repeatedly questioned Hartig about museum exhibits they argued too often focused on matters of gender and sexuality.

Citing a display that showcased drag performers, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said, "You strive to represent queer pedophiles, indoctrination, grooming of kids at an American history museum." 

Democrats on the panel just as frequently pushed back on Hartig's behalf.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, stated that the hearing was "the Republicans' White pride rally disguised as a congressional hearing."

Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., made an analogy to Nazi Germany, saying the regime "weaponized art and museums to demonize certain groups." 

He wondered when the White House or Congress became involved in "historical interpretation," and asked how that would be "different from political censorship."

Heritage Foundation Senior fellow Mike Gonzalez told lawmakers, "You need to clean house and relieve all Smithsonian leadership of their duties," and stated that reform would not be enough to enact the change needed to reshape the museum's direction.

Burchett critiqued the Smithsonian's "current telling" of American history, saying it is being presented as "just an ongoing power struggle between oppressors and the oppressed." 

Gonzalez asserted that "teaching lessons about American wickedness is now the mission of the Smithsonian."

Dr. Matthew Spalding, a professor at Hillsdale college and witness at the hearing, claimed that the Smithsonian had distorted "America's story," to the point where "it no longer exists in any recognizable form."

Democrats insisted that the Trump administration was attempting to turn museums into instruments of political control. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., said that the Smithsonian is not under the control of the president or a political party, and that "it belongs to the American people."

Rep. Subramanyam, D-Va., said to Gonzalez, "It's not that you don't want ideology in the museum … you want your ideology."

Specifics from the various displays around the museum underwent extreme scrutiny for their contents and perceived political bias.

A display called "Girlhood-It's Complicated" also became the subject of controversy in the hearing for featuring a minor's diary entry that described genitalia and gender identity. Hartig insisted that the exhibit "was not designed for children," and that a content warning had been placed outside of the exhibit. 

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, critiqued an exhibit text linking Mickey Mouse's origins to blackface minstrelsy. He pushed Hartig to say the character was "rooted in minstrelsy."

Hartig's practice of land acknowledgements to Native Americans was also criticized by Republicans. Burchett asked Hartig if she "ever planned on deeding any of your personal property or property of the Smithsonian to any of these tribes."

Hartig insisted that the intentions of the museum are not partisan, but inspired a “patriotism” that is "not instructed and inspired." She said that the museum operates under the key tenets of "scholarship" and "accuracy."

She continued, saying the museum "honor[s] the Declaration, the Revolution, the Constitution," while also maintaining transparency when "the country fell short of its own founding ideals."

Dr. David Blight, a historian at Yale University who also sat on the panel of witnesses, warned the White House's targeting of the museum was "a declaration of political war on the historian’s profession."

During the hearing, Stansbury announced she has introduced new legislation called the Smithsonian Integrity and Historical Independence Act, which she said she proposed as a safeguard necessary to prevent federal interference in museum scholarship.

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