Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts praised outgoing Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch on Tuesday, days after Bunch announced he would retire following more than a year of clashes with the Trump administration over how American history is presented at the institution.
Roberts, who serves as chancellor of the Smithsonian, said Bunch, 73, “pursued excellence in the telling of our nation’s story” and that the Smithsonian had “benefited greatly from his wisdom, vision and leadership.”
Bunch’s departure follows a July report from the Trump administration criticizing the National Museum of American History in particular. The report claimed the Smithsonian had become “subject to institutional capture by a radical, activist ideology that is fundamentally opposed to telling the noble, honest story of the great country we know and love.”
Bunch pushed back at the time in an internal email to staff, conceding there was “room for improvement” but arguing the report was “not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History.”
“At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America’s story,” Bunch wrote. “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.”
The retirement announcement came shortly after the administration escalated its pressure campaign. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley warned that the Smithsonian could lose access to federal artifacts and grants if it kept its current leadership in place.
Burgum and Haley outlined their concerns in a letter to Congress last week, alleging that the Smithsonian’s leadership culture may have violated federal antidiscrimination law.
“The administration has recently uncovered evidence that the Smithsonian leadership’s institutional culture may have resulted in significant violations of Federal antidiscrimination law, including creating a hostile work environment and engaging in practices that classify individuals and allocate opportunities, funding and other benefits on the basis of race, ethnicity and other protected characteristics,” the letter stated.
The dispute over the Smithsonian’s presentation of U.S. history has also included a Trump administration order for signage outside a Smithsonian museum addressing the controversy directly.
