Smithsonian Hearing's Most Bizarre Moments Ranked by Tier

Some of the most memorable moments from the congressional hearing, ranked on the basis of impact (edit Rhea Nayyar/Hyperallergic, all screenshots via YouTube)

Last week, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform grilled National Museum of American History (NMAH) Director Anthea Hartig during a congressional hearing on allegations outlined in the White House's 162-page July report that accused the Smithsonian Institution (SI) of promoting “extreme political activism." As one would expect, the hearing rapidly devolved into explosive statements tumbling out of the mouths of the Republican committee members before Hartig could answer a majority of the questions, each more accusatory and absurd than the last.

The Trump administration's fixation on the Smithsonian has spiraled from critiquing its “woke” narrative to threatening the majority of the institution's funding unless it handed over the didactics, staff information, and planned programming from each museum and research center for review. Similar to how Hartig was mentioned extensively in the 162-page report, President Trump himself previously took direct aim at former National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet, whom he claimed to have fired in 2025 because she prioritized diversifying programming and collection acquisitions.

Hartig, who has led the NMAH since 2019 as the museum's first woman director, was asked no less than the following:

Are you sexualizing children?

Do you believe men can become women?

What is a woman?

When was your gender revealed to you?

Do you think it's the goal of the SI to promote White supremacy culture?

Is Mickey Mouse racist?

Is it important to be polite?

What is “Latina power?”

Do you think that it's appropriate for the SI to sell Latina power paraphernalia?

What about the tens of millions of aborted babies killed in America, where is the justice and compassion for them?