Amid concerns about potential “significant violations of … antidiscrimination law,” a shakeup at a federal institution is coming with the announced retirement of its secretary.
Despite his best efforts, undoing the pervasiveness of the woke mind virus will take more than the world’s richest man’s free speech absolutism. On the government front, President Donald Trump’s mission to purge leftist bias at national museums led to a statement from Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch III regarding his departure before the end of the year.
“It is with very mixed emotions and heartfelt gratitude that I announce my retirement from the Smithsonian,” read a statement from the man named secretary in 2019. “I have spent nearly half of my life working at and being part of the Smithsonian family, and what a privilege it has been. There is no place like the Smithsonian–it has been one of the great loves of my life, and I am extraordinarily proud of what we have accomplished together.”
Having initially joined the Smithsonian in 1978, Bunch went on, “I leave with pride and sadness, gratitude and joy, and with enormous confidence in the people who will carry this remarkable institution forward.”
While he went on to assert his next chapter would allow him to “continue to project the integrity of the Smithsonian,” the bold claim appeared to contradict allegations facing the institution.
On August 28, Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum penned a letter to the board alleging 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.”
“It is also concerning that the Smithsonian leadership’s culture of ideological activism has not only corrupted the Institution but has spread across the country and corrupted the American Alliance for Museums–the primary organization and accrediting body for the museum profession–among others,” added Burgum.
Amid the president’s initiative to restore trust in the institution, it was previously reported that Texas Rep. Brandon Gill (R) challenged the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig over the Smithsonian’s MASS (Museums as a Site for Social) Action Toolkit, which deemed things like objectivity and politeness as defining characteristics of white supremacy.
During the same hearing, Hartig was made to answer for the museum’s branding of Mickey Mouse as “racist.”
Congress grills Smithsonian on why it branded Mickey Mouse ‘racist’ https://t.co/TGAf9pw6a4 via @BIZPACReview
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) July 22, 2026
Meanwhile, frequently positioned at odds with Trump, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, chancellor of the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents since 2005, offered nothing but glowing remarks for Bunch on his retirement.
“From his days as a young curator at the National Air and Space and American History Museums through his tenure as the founding director of the African American History and Culture Museum and culminating in his distinguished service for the past seven years in the Smithsonian’s top job, Secretary Bunch has pursued excellence in the telling of our nation’s story,” stated Roberts. “The Regents and the Smithsonian have benefited greatly from his wisdom, vision and leadership. We look forward to working with him in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition for his successor.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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