Chief Justice Roberts Praises Outgoing Smithsonian Secretary Bunch After White House Pressure Campaign
Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch, 73, announced plans to retire this week following more than a year of tension with the Trump administration over how U.S. history is presented at the institution. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who serves as chancellor of the Smithsonian, issued a statement praising Bunch, saying he "pursued excellence in the telling of our nation's story." The Trump administration had released a report this summer criticizing the National Museum of American History for what it described as ideological capture.
Single source · Not corroborated
Lonnie Bunch announced his retirement as Smithsonian Institution Secretary after a prolonged dispute with the Trump White House over the content and framing of exhibits at Smithsonian museums, particularly the National Museum of American History. Chief Justice John Roberts, in his capacity as Smithsonian chancellor, responded to Bunch's departure by saying the institution "benefited greatly from his wisdom, vision and leadership."
The Trump administration's July report, as described by Fox News, argued 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 responded to that report with an internal email to staff acknowledging "room for improvement" but contending the report was "not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History."
In the weeks before Bunch's announcement, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley sent a letter to Congress warning that the Smithsonian could lose access to artifacts and federal grants if it continued under its current leadership. That letter also stated the administration had "uncovered evidence" of possible violations of federal antidiscrimination law, including allegations of a hostile work environment and race- and ethnicity-based allocation of opportunities and funding.