Smithsonian History Museum Director Says She Has No Regrets Amid Congressional Scrutiny
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Director Anthea Hartig affirmed she has no regrets about the National Museum of American History's exhibits despite lawmakers questioning a display on Benjamin Franklin and a White House report alleging ideological bias.
The director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History told a House committee she is proud of the museum’s work and holds no regrets about its exhibitions, even as a Heritage Foundation expert and Republican lawmakers criticized a display that suggested Benjamin Franklin may have experimented with electrical shocks on enslaved or indentured individuals.
Heritage Foundation researcher Mike Gonzalez described the exhibit “The Electric Dr. Franklin,” which ran from 2021 to 2025, as “shocking” for implying Franklin conducted such experiments without providing evidence. Representative Brian Jack asked Hartig whether she regretted any exhibits; she responded that while the museum makes mistakes, she does not regret its overall programming. She cited a recent correction of a mislabeled coin in the American Presidency exhibit as an example of addressing errors.
The criticism follows a 162-page White House Domestic Policy Council report titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which claims the museum has become a vehicle for “radical activist ideology” and is not trustworthy to present an honest national narrative. Hartig said the Smithsonian is reviewing the report’s findings and believes it does not accurately reflect the museum’s full body of work, while also acknowledging there is “always room for improvement.”