Smithsonian History Museum Director Shows No Remorse for Ideologically Driven Exhibits Amid Congressional Review
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Director Anthea Hartig refuses to express regret for controversial exhibits at the National Museum of American History, despite lawmakers and experts exposing leftist bias and historical distortions.
The director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Anthea Hartig, appeared before a House committee and doubled down on her support for the museum’s controversial programming, refusing to acknowledge the damage caused by ideologically motivated exhibits. Despite clear criticism from the Heritage Foundation and Republican lawmakers, Hartig expressed no regret over a display that irresponsibly suggested Benjamin Franklin may have experimented with electrical shocks on enslaved or indentured individuals—an accusation made without evidence and designed to malign a founding father.
Heritage Foundation researcher Mike Gonzalez rightly described the exhibit “The Electric Dr. Franklin” (2021–2025) as 'shocking,' calling out the museum for pushing unsubstantiated claims that fit a leftist narrative. Representative Brian Jack pressed Hartig on whether she regretted any exhibits, but Hartig deflected, admitting only to minor errors like a mislabeled coin in the American Presidency exhibit, while ignoring the larger issue of ideological bias.
This comes after a thorough 162-page White House Domestic Policy Council report, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which exposes the museum as a vehicle for 'radical activist ideology' and questions its trustworthiness to present an honest national narrative. Hartig claimed the Smithsonian is reviewing the report’s findings, but dismissed its conclusions, showing a troubling unwillingness to address the museum’s left-wing agenda or restore balance to its exhibits.