Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) grilled Smithsonian museum director Anthea Hartig on Tuesday over outside guidance used as a reference by her institution that associated “politeness” and “objectivity” with white supremacy culture.
“Is it important to be polite?” the Texas Republican asked.
“Yes, sir,” Hartig replied.
“It’s also interesting because the same MASS Action Toolkit that your organization has been promoting references ‘politeness’ as a defining characteristic of white supremacy culture,” Gill said. “Ma’am, are you a white supremacist?”
“No, sir,” Hartig answered.
“You’re not. Can you help me square why? Your organization says that being polite is part of being a white supremacist,” Gill continued.
“I’m not exactly familiar with that passage of the MASS Action Toolkit,” Hartig said, noting that the Smithsonian did not develop the material.
“I just read you a passage from it,” Gill fired back.
The exchange unfolded during a House hearing titled “Rewriting American History: Examining the Smithsonian’s Efforts to Reshape the Past.”
The hearing followed a July 4 White House Domestic Policy Council report accusing the Smithsonian of allowing left-wing ideology to distort its presentation of American history.
Gill also challenged Hartig over the toolkit’s treatment of objectivity.
“Does it concern you that your goal is objectivity?” he asked. “One of your goals is objectivity and your MASS Action Toolkit references ‘objectivity’ as a defining characteristic of white supremacy culture.”
Hartig pushed back, saying the toolkit was not developed by the Smithsonian and had probably been used only as a reference around 2019 or 2020.
The Smithsonian's "MASS Action Toolkit" said that politeness is a "defining aspect of white supremacy culture."
I asked the Director of the National Museum of American History if that means she's a white supremacist. pic.twitter.com/VUrIeUEZWt
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) July 21, 2026
Gill also questioned Hartig about a Smithsonian exhibit connecting Mickey Mouse’s origins to blackface minstrelsy.
“Mickey Mouse is not racist,” Hartig said, before adding that the character’s historical origins were “rooted in minstrelsy.”
Watch the clip below:
Is Mickey Mouse Racist?
Texas Rep. Brandon Gill presses Smithsonian Director Dr. Anthea Hartig during a tense Capitol Hill hearing over museum exhibits linking Mickey Mouse to blackface. pic.twitter.com/btCXnd6BMX
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) July 22, 2026
