Latest news with #KimSajet
Indian Express
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Trump impeachment details removed from an exhibition will now be restored
Weeks after news reports pointed out that Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington DC has removed references to President Trump's two first-term impeachments from the exhibit titled 'The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden', the museum has now issued a statement announcing that placard will be reinstated. In a release issued, the Smithsonian said, 'The section in question, Impeachment, will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation's history.' Responding to allegations that the removal was an outcome of political pressure, it added, 'The placard, which was meant to be a temporary addition to a twenty-five year-old exhibition, did not meet the museum's standards in appearance, location, timeline and overall presentation. It was not consistent with other sections in the exhibit and moreover blocked the view of the objects inside its case. For these reasons, we removed the placard. We were not asked by any Administration or other government official to remove content from the exhibit.'\ The placard was part of the 'impeachments' section that also includes reference to the impeachments of Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, and the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to President Richard Nixon's resignation. The temporary label on Trump was reportedly added in 2021, and detailed the impeachments in 2019 and 2021, days before the end of his first term. The removal of the placard also came just weeks after President Trump claimed he was firing Kim Sajet, director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. In a post on Truth Social on May 30, he wrote: 'Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am hereby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as Director of the National Portrait Gallery. She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position.' In response, the Smithsonian released a statement on June 9 reaffirming its status as an 'independent entity'. It stated, 'Since its inception, the Smithsonian has set out to be a nonpartisan institution…The Board of Regents is committed to ensuring that the Smithsonian is a beacon of scholarship free from political or partisan influence, and we recognize that our institution can and must do more to further these foundational values.'
The Independent
01-08-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Smithsonian removes Trump from impeachment exhibit in American History Museum, according to report
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History has erased all references to President Trump from an impeachment exhibit display. Orders to remove an impeachment reference to the commander-in-chief in the exhibit, 'A Glorious Burden', came as part of a recent content review, triggered by mounting pressure from the White House to make changes to the arts institution, according to a source familiar with The Washington Post. The president was impeached twice during his first term in office, the first due to being accused of breaking the law by pressuring Ukraine's leader to dig up damaging information on the Biden family. The second impeachment came after he was charged with "incitement of insurrection" regarding the deadly storming of Congress on January 6, 2021. In each case, he was acquitted on all counts by the Senate. In both votes, the Republican party held the majority. The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum complex, consisting of 21 museums, the National Portrait Gallery, and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. In May, Trump called for the firing of Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., labelling her a supporter of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, and claiming she was unsuitable for the role. She resigned from her post just two weeks later, following the president's criticism on Truth Social. 'Her replacement will be named shortly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Trump wrote. Sajet had led the gallery 'with passion and creativity' for 12 years, according to the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Lonnie Bunch, who wrote the resignation memo. Trump's crackdown on the arts came in tandem with his March executive order that called for the removal of 'improper, divisive or anti-American ideology' from the network of Smithsonian museums, The Wall Street Journal reported. However, even prior to the order, the Smithsonian canceled its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs to comply with Trump's anti-DEI vision in January. The latest change sees the removal of a temporary label that described Trump's impeachment, notices that had been on display since September 2021. The museum has now placed a 2008 label on the exhibit, stating that 'only three presidents have seriously faced removal,' referring to Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Richard Nixon, according to The Post. Nixon would have faced impeachment had he not resigned. The Smithsonian released a statement after the report that said, 'a future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments.' 'In reviewing our legacy content recently, it became clear that the 'Limits of Presidential Power' section in The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden exhibition needed to be addressed,' the spokesperson told The Post. They explained that the section of the exhibition covered Congress, the Supreme Court, Impeachment, and Public Opinion, noting that the change was necessary because 'other topics in this section had not been updated since 2008.' The institution said it was appropriate to restore the impeachment case to its 2008 appearance. Trump's intervention in the arts space follows a string of incidents where he has sought to alter cultural institutions to align with MAGA values. In February, he usurped the position of chair of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. – a hub lauded for its bipartisan approach. 'NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA', he wrote on Truth Social at the time. , and Republicans have now proposed a bill to rename the center after Trump.
Associated Press
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
FOIA Filed Seeking Records on Trump-Ordered Dismissal of Smithsonian Official, Kim Sajet & Board of Regent's Meeting
Highlights Ongoing Questions About Smithsonian's Legal Status and Public Accountability 'It is important that the steps we take ensure a transparent, inclusive and thorough process.'— Lonnie Bunch III, Smithsonian Secretary, June 22, 2022 WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, July 7, 2025 / / -- Artist, author, and free speech activist Julian Marcus Raven, a long-time litigant in matters involving the Smithsonian Institution, filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request today seeking internal communications, board deliberations, and government correspondence regarding the high-profile resignation of Kim Sajet, former director of the National Portrait Gallery. The FOIA request, sent to the Smithsonian Institution's Office of General Counsel, senior counsel Jennifer B. McIntyre, requests records from 2016 through 2025 and covers topics including President Donald J. Trump's attempts to remove Sajet, internal deliberations by Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, and email communications involving Smithsonian leadership and the Board of Regents—including Chief Justice John Roberts, who serves as Smithsonian Chancellor. The FOIA was also copied to Lindsey Halligan, Ed Martin at the (DOJ), as well as other Smithsonian Secretary Bunch III, Smithsonian officials and members of the media. The request includes requests for documentation involving Raven's own artwork and lawsuits, including his case Raven v. Sajet, No. 17-cv-01240 (TNM). The FOIA request targets several interconnected themes: Communications regarding President Trump's removal of Kim Sajet, which occurred in May of 2025, followed by the Board of Regents' silence. Secretary Bunch's and other officials' internal handling of the situation, including correspondence with Sajet, Deputy Secretary Richard Kurin, and others. Discussion of Julian Raven and his previously rejected portrait of Donald Trump, a painting that has figured prominently in earlier litigation. In light of Raven v. Sajet, the FOIA cites Judge Trevor McFadden's 2018 ruling that the Smithsonian Institution is 'government through and through,' thereby binding it to constitutional principles and transparency standards applicable to federal agencies (Case No. 17-cv-1240, U.S. District Court, D.D.C.). Background and Public Interest The request comes in the wake of a series of politically charged events involving the Smithsonian Institution: On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump was inaugurated to a second non-consecutive term as President of the United States. In February 2025, Trump publicly criticized the Smithsonian, citing 'ideological bias' and diversity-related initiatives. In May 2025, Trump announced the removal of Kim Sajet from her position as Director of the National Portrait Gallery, calling her 'highly partisan.' Despite the move, the Board of Regents and its Secretary Lonnie Bunch III in a closed session, declared they he and they are alone responsible for hiring and firing. The same week Kim Sajet tendered her resignation on June 13th, 2025. Raven, in response, on June filed an emergency petition on June 20th for rehearing at the U.S. Supreme Court regarding his formerly denied petition for cert that requested clarification on the legal entity status of the Smithsonian Institution as he pursued the vindication of his 1st Amendment free-speech rights. The situation has prompted renewed media coverage from outlets including The Washington Post, ABC News, The Raw Story, The Guardian, and The Week, where Raven has been mentioned for his legal activism and the controversial portrait that was never accepted by the National Portrait Gallery. Legal, Policy, and Ethical Implications The FOIA request may shine light on lingering questions about: The Smithsonian Institution's legal entity status How $700 Million of tax payer appropriations influence a Smithsonian FOIA request Whether the Board of Regents took formal action or gave informal advice regarding Sajet's status after the President's directive. The extent of political activity and advocacy within the Smithsonian leadership. Next Steps and Public Access to Board of Regent's meetings that for now are closed to the public A full copy of the FOIA request is available upon request or can. be seen at Raven has indicated that he is prepared to pursue litigation under 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(B) if the Smithsonian fails to respond Julian Raven Julian Raven Artist email us here Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Smithsonian faces an existential crisis. The world is watching.
When the National Portrait Gallery was created by an act of Congress in 1962, the authorizing legislation defined portraiture as 'painted or sculptured likenesses.' And when it referred to the future directors of that museum, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution, it was with exclusively male pronouns. 'His appointment and salary,' the text read, would be fixed by the Smithsonian's Board of Regents. Fourteen years later, Congress amended the original legislation to widen the definition of portraiture to include photographs and 'reproductions thereof made by any means or processes.' As the NPG built its collection and expanded its mission, it was clear that there were many Americans who would never have their images painted or sculpted — mainly Americans who weren't White, male and wealthy — yet were nonetheless essential to the story of America, its history and culture. Kim Sajet, who became the first woman to lead the NPG in 2013, was hired to continue what that amending legislation did in 1976. She expanded the definition of portraiture and widened the scope of people considered worthy of representation in the nation's portrait gallery. Visitors now encounter painted portraits, photographs, ink-jet prints, sculpture, videos, assemblage pieces, paper cutouts and videos. Women, people of color and those who identify as LGBT are more regularly seen in the museum's galleries. Last week, President Donald Trump attempted to fire Sajet, continuing an assault on the leadership of top cultural institutions that has led to the dismissal of Deborah Rutter, the first woman to lead the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; and Carla Hayden, the first woman to lead the Library of Congress. Trump offered no substantial reason for Sajet's dismissal, using only a variation on his all-purpose denunciation of leaders he doesn't like: She is, he said in a Truth Social posting, 'a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI.' When she was hired, the Smithsonian celebrated Sajet's broad cultural range and diverse roots as a Dutch citizen born in Nigeria, educated in Australia and with deep professional roots in U.S. cultural organizations. Efforts to caricature her tenure as partisan or obsessed with diversity or identity issues can't be squared with her track record of traditional programming and collection building, which included acquiring the oldest photograph of an American president (an 1843 daguerreotype of John Quincy Adams) and exhibitions such as the rock-solid 2023 survey of colonialism, '1898: U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions.' It's not clear that Trump has the authority to dismiss Sajet, and a Smithsonian spokesman said 'we have no comment at this time' when asked whether she is still the museum's director. Despite receiving federal funds, the Smithsonian is independent of the executive branch, and its museum directors are hired by the Board of Regents. But Trump's effort to oust Sajet presents the Smithsonian with an existential crisis: If the president succeeds in removing a key leader who is not accused of any professional or personal misconduct, he will effectively gain control over the content and mission of the entire Smithsonian. This also presents a critical leadership test for the Smithsonian's secretary, Lonnie G. Bunch III, who is negotiating potentially devastating budget cuts from Congress, including zero funding for the forthcoming National Museum of the American Latino. If Sajet's status as head of the NPG becomes a negotiating chit, then everything the Smithsonian does — including its commitment to telling the truth about history, science and art — will be negotiable. The Smithsonian has a long and sadly craven history of caving to critics, including making changes to exhibitions after pressure from activists and members of Congress. Former Smithsonian secretary G. Wayne Clough censored an NPG exhibition of portraiture featuring LGBT people in 2010, after pressure from conservative Christian activists. Clough forced museum curators to remove a single video, by the gay artist and AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz, which actually made the exhibition more popular when it traveled to Brooklyn and Tacoma, Washington. The precedent for that intrusion on editorial independence had been established at least since 1995, when the National Air and Space Museum censored an exhibition about the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb. The Enola Gay controversy, which centered on some veterans' opposition to an evenhanded curatorial discussion of why the bomb was dropped and whether it was necessary, damaged the institution, but it also helped foster widespread and lasting resistance to censorship and content meddling throughout the organization. But those examples were mere brush fires compared with the destruction that would follow a new precedent, the right of the president of the United States to dictate hiring and content. Trump's ongoing efforts to assert control over the performing arts, museum sector and the larger American historical narrative have been audacious and destructive. Subscriptions sales at the Kennedy Center are down some 36 percent from last year, and community arts and humanities groups around the country are suffering from the loss of small but essential grants from organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Unlike previous scuffles with Congress, which involved particular exhibitions and were limited to a few controversial subjects, Trump is using his anti-DEI agenda as a master key to exert transformative power over the Smithsonian. If successful, he won't stop with the removal of Sajet, who was hired because Smithsonian leaders and the nation at large were once committed to telling a richer, more inclusive story of the American people. The Smithsonian is currently seeking a new director for the American Art Museum and will need to find one for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, as well. If Sajet is removed, that will be a third major post to fill. What qualified, respected museum leader would take these jobs knowing that Trump has final say over exhibitions, hiring and publications? Throughout the past four months, people tracking the administration's attack on the federal arts and culture infrastructure have periodically wondered, is this the moment of truth? Will the latest executive order or social media post from the president determine the future and independence of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, the Smithsonian, the National Park Service, the Institute for Museum and Library Services? Is this the tipping point from mere chaos and destruction into genuine authoritarian control? On Monday, the Smithsonian Board of Regents will hold one of its four annual regularly scheduled meetings, and Sajet's future is almost certain to be one of the main subjects under debate. It will be tempting for the regents to attempt some kind of compromise, find some middle road that appeases the president and preserves the Smithsonian from further harm. But there are no good options, only worse ones. A direct confrontation between the Smithsonian and Trump would probably lead to a protracted battle in Congress and perhaps the courts. But compromise measures, such as reassigning Sajet to some other Smithsonian position, might only embolden Trump for further, even more destructive attacks. There is no middle road. Appeasement won't work. The fate of the Smithsonian is now in the hands of Bunch and the regents, and the precedent they set will reverberate throughout every institution in America that, like the Smithsonian, is dedicated to the 'increase and diffusion of knowledge.'
New York Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Trump Administration Live Updates: Judge Pauses State Dept. Plans for Mass Layoffs
Kim Sajet, the first woman to lead the National Portrait Gallery, resigned in the aftermath of President Trump's announcement that she was fired. Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery whom President Trump announced he was firing last month, is stepping down, explaining in a statement on Friday that she thought her decision was in the best interests of the institution. This week the Smithsonian Institution, which oversees the museum and has long operated as independent of the executive branch, reiterated that it retains the legal authority over personnel including Ms. Sajet, whom the president had criticized as partisan. The White House had created a list of grievances that it suggested made Ms. Sajet an inappropriate choice to lead a national museum, including public comments about racial and gender inequality in America. Ms. Sajet did not discuss the president or his remarks in her statement, which was included in an email sent to the staff by Lonnie G. Bunch III, the Smithsonian 's secretary. 'This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one,' she said. 'From the very beginning, my guiding principle has been to put the museum first. Today, I believe that stepping aside is the best way to serve the institution I hold so deeply in my heart.' In his email, Mr. Bunch said: 'We thank Kim for her service. She put the needs of the Institution above her own, and for that we thank her.' The Smithsonian receives two-thirds of its $1 billion in annual funding from the federal government. Kevin Gover, the Smithsonian's under secretary for museums and culture, will serve as the National Portrait Gallery's acting director. The White House did not react this week when the Smithsonian made clear that its secretary held the authority over personnel decisions, but it responded quickly on Friday to the news that Ms. Sajet had stepped down. 'On Day 1, President Trump made clear that there is no place for dangerous anti-American ideology in our government and institutions,' Davis R. Ingle, a spokesman for the president, said in a statement. In alignment 'with this objective, he ordered the termination of Kim Sajet,' the statement continued. 'The Trump administration is committed to restoring American greatness and celebrating our nation's proud history.' The Smithsonian's Board of Regents, which governs the institution's 21 museums as well as libraries, research centers and the National Zoo, appears to have taken the issues raised by the president seriously even as it challenged his authority to fire Ms. Sajet. In reiterating its autonomy this week, the institution also said in a statement that it was committed to presenting its scholarship 'free from political or partisan influence.' In an email to staff this week, Mr. Bunch agreed to evaluate 'the need for any changes to policies, procedures or personnel.' 'While the vast majority of our content is rooted in meticulous research and thoughtful analysis of history and facts,' he wrote, 'we recognize that, on occasion, some of our work has not aligned with our institutional values of scholarship, even-handedness and nonpartisanship. For that, we must all work to do better.' Private cultural institutions do not typically have litmus tests for the political leanings of their directors, and Mr. Bunch did not provide any examples of work that he considered partisan. But Mr. Trump's announcement prompted questions of whether national museums, funded largely by the federal government, needed to be conspicuously neutral in their handling of hot-button political issues. Sally Yerkovich, a museum specialist at Columbia University, said Ms. Sajet's departure risked having an unwelcome chilling effect on the work of museums, which should be based on independent research. 'It can't help but make other museums pause and think twice about what they are doing,' she said. Leaders of cultural organizations have been closely watching the situation at the National Portrait Gallery, as the Trump administration displays a pronounced interest in influencing the arts in Washington in ways that were rarely apparent during his first term. In a recent executive order, the president called on Vice President JD Vance, who sits on the Board of Regents, to overhaul the Smithsonian with the help of Congress. In his order, the president described a 'revisionist movement' across the country that 'seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.' And at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — where the president was greeted with cheers and boos at a performance of 'Les Miserables' this week — Mr. Trump took over as chairman of the board, with one of his allies appointed as the institution's interim president. In the case of Ms. Sajet, Mr. Trump had called her 'a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position.' He also said her replacement would be named 'shortly.' The Smithsonian board has given every indication that the institution's secretary would be making that choice. The White House's list of grievances describes Ms. Sajet as partisan, citing examples such as her remarks at a 2018 'race and justice summit' that 'the 'portrait of America' has never been only about meritocracy but also social access, racial inequality, gender difference, religious preference and political power.' Ms. Sajet appeared to refer to her efforts to broaden the portrait of America during her tenure in her statement on Friday. 'Together,' she said, 'we have worked to tell a fuller, more American story — one that fosters connection, reflection and understanding.' Image The headquarters of the Smithsonian Institution, known as 'The Castle.' It is currently closed for renovations. Credit... Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images Samuel J. Redman, professor of history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said Ms. Sajet had done much to modernize a museum collection that had been 'very much based on the great white man orientation.' 'This is a disappointing outcome,' he said. 'Kim Sajet did a tremendous job in widening the view of what portraiture is and how the National Portrait Gallery should reflect the varieties of the American experience.' Ms. Sajet, 60, was the first woman to run the National Portrait Gallery. Born in Nigeria, raised in Australia and a citizen of the Netherlands, she earned a master's degree in art history at Bryn Mawr College; a master's degree in business administration at Melbourne University Business School in Australia; a bachelor's degree, also in art history, at Melbourne University; and a degree in museum studies from Deakin University in Australia. She also completed arts leadership training at the Harvard Business School, the Getty and National Arts Strategies. She served first as curator and then the director of two Australian art museums from 1989 until 1995. From 1998 until 2001, Ms. Sajet was the director of corporate relations at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and then spent seven years as senior vice president and deputy director of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. There she became more widely known in the museum world for helping arrange the joint $68 million purchase of Thomas Eakins's painting 'The Gross Clinic.' She then served for six years as president and chief executive at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania before taking on the Smithsonian role in 2013. The Smithsonian's 17-member Board of Regents includes six congressional appointees. Nine 'citizen' members are nominated by the board and appointed for a six-year term by a joint resolution signed by the president. The vice president and chief justice of the United States are also on the board by virtue of their positions. The president has proposed to Congress a 12 percent cut to the Smithsonian's budget, which would affect other museums under its umbrella, such as the planned National Museum of the American Latino and the Anacostia Community Museum. Zachary Small contributed reporting.
