'The museum does not take sides': Smithsonian official defends institution amid Trump criticism

The director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (MNAH) defended its work in a congressional hearing on Tuesday morning amid sharp criticism from the White House over the contents of the Washington, D.C. museum.

"Our work is governed by the Smithsonian standards of scholarship, accuracy, independence, and nonpartisanship," Anthea Hartig said. "The museum does not take sides in America's political debates. We preserve and document the evidence of American life in all of its breadth, so that the public can encounter the past and draw their own conclusions."

Hartig's comments came during her opening remarks to lawmakers in a House Subcommittee on Delivering Government Efficiency hearing titled "Rewriting American History: Examining the Smithsonian's Efforts to Reshape the Past."

She is also expected to testify in a related hearing on Wednesday before the Committee on House Administration, a committee spokesperson confirmed to ABC News.

Hartig was named in a scathing White House Domestic Policy Council report released on July 4, accusing the MNAH and its leadership of engaging in "extreme political activism" and presenting "a radical view of American history."

She pushed back against the report's findings on Tuesday.

"The Smithsonian takes the concerns raised in the White House Domestic Policy Council's report seriously, and as we continue to fact-check the report, we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum," Hartig said. "There is always room for improvement, but I also know the beauty and the inspiration and the expertise that lies in our collections, our exhibits, and our programming."

Asked about the report, a spokesperson for the Smithsonian told ABC News on July 5 that the institution remains committed to impartial learning.

"For more than 180 years, the Smithsonian has served the American public with nonpartisan and independent scholarship, and we remain committed to doing so," the spokesperson said.

Hartig's testimony this week marks the first time that a top leader at the Smithsonian gets grilled publicly by Congress after President Donald Trump targeted the institution in his March 27, 2025 executive order, "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History."

The executive order directed Vice President J.D. Vance, in consultation with the president's advisers on domestic policy, "to remove improper ideology" from Smithsonian institutions, arguing that materials that cast America in a "negative light" have no place in federal cultural institutions.

The White House last year launched an investigation into the Smithsonian, which oversees 21 museums, galleries and the national zoo, and released the July 4 report targeting the American history museum as part of this probe.

The report accuses the museum of "anti-White activism," "illegal alien activism," and "transgender activism." It also includes many photos of materials the White House has identified as problematic.

It also accused the museum's leaders of not loving America.

"The serious concerns raised in this report are not about a few exhibits or a few controversial labels," the report says. "As it stands today, it would benefit most Americans, especially parents bringing their children for a tour, if the Smithsonian's flagship history museum had a label at every entrance that reads: 'Warning: the exhibits in this museum were prepared by people who don't want you to love your country.'"

Hartig pushed back against this claim on Tuesday and invited lawmakers to visit the museum to view its contents themselves.

"I believe what you will find, madams and sirs, is not an institution that has forgotten its country, but one that loves it enough to tell the full sweep of history, our triumphs and our struggles," she said. "I love the United States of America. I consider it the privilege of my career to help preserve its treasures and serve the American people."

Vince Haley, the Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said in a statement to ABC News that "No American wants the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History to be a system of ideological activism."

"Unfortunately, the report demonstrates that is exactly what the Smithsonian's flagship museum has become," he said. "It is our hope and expectation that the Smithsonian will eventually rise once again to that noble obligation -- to tell America's story for our children, the world, and future generations of Americans," he added.

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch, who has not addressed the report publicly, disputed its findings in an internal letter to staff that was obtained by ABC News.

Bunch wrote that Smithsonian leadership is "carefully" reviewing the report's findings, but said that the report's assessment is "not a fair characterization.

"While there will always be room for improvement, this report is not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History," Bunch said in the letter. "At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy, and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America's story."

"As public servants and the keepers of this institution, we are charged with helping a nation find understanding, hope, and clarity and as part of that duty, we are dedicated to excellence, reflection, and growth," Bunch added.

ABC News' Tesfaye Negussie and Mariam Khan contributed to this report.