Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX), one of the party’s rising stars, took on the director of the Smithsonian, leaving her mumbling and bumbling all over herself by making use of a super slick line of questioning that exposed the anti-white agenda of her organization. Gill questioned Dr. Anthea Hartig, Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, during a hearing before the House Oversight Committee.
The reason for the hearing was to discuss the organization’s mass action toolkit the Smithsonian has been pushing, which attempts to paint up certain cultural manners and icons as white supremacy. Just to provide additional context, some of these include politeness, objectivity, and Mickey Mouse. Yes, you read that correctly. Mickey Mouse, according to the Smithsonian, is an icon of white supremacy.
“Would you say that the goal of history is to be objective?” Gill opened up his questioning of Hartig. Taking a pause, Hartig then responded, “Thank you, sir, for the question. I think there are many goals of history, and certainly as you collect and examine evidence…”
Gill interjected, “Is objectivity one of them?” Hartig replied, “We strive to be objective and nonpartisan.” Gill then said, “So it’s one of the goals. Does it seem a little bit concerning that this white supremacy document that your organization has promoted shows that objectivity is a defining and core aspect of white supremacy culture?”
“Do you think it is the goal of the Smithsonian to promote white supremacist culture?” he continued. Hartig then asked Gill to share which document he was referring to. He showed the director the document. “Are you promoting white supremacy culture at the Smithsonian?” Appearing to be confused by the question, Hartig responded, “Am I promoting…”
“Ma’am, is this a difficult question?” Gill asked her. “No, sir. I’m just thinking about the mass action toolkit. We didn’t develop it.” Hartig told Gill. “But, um…we’re not promoting any ideology.” Gill then asked, “Does it concern you that one of your goals is objectivity, yet your mass toolkit references objectivity as a defining characteristic of white supremacy?”
Hartig explained that it’s not their toolkit, but is used as a reference during 2019 and 2020. Gill pressed forward saying that the toolkit was used as a reference under Hartig’s leadership. He then asked her if she believed Mickey Mouse was racist. “Mickey Mouse is not racist,” she replied. Gill then stated that the Smithsonian Institute featured an exhibit that referred to the beloved character as “one of the last vestiges of black-faced minstrelsy.”
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The Texas Republican asked the director if she would describe that as racist. “No, the historical trajectories of the origins of Mickey Mouse tie directly to uh…” she stammered during her attempt to explain herself. “So Mickey Mouse is rooted in racism. Is that your testimony?” She replied, “No, sir, it’s rooted in minstrelsy.”
“You don’t think black-faced minstrelsy is racist?” Gill asked Hartig. “It has certain and obvious racial overtones,” she admitted. “Do you think it’s problematic that Mickey Mouse also has those racial overtones?” Hartig attempted to pass the buck, saying, “It’s not for me to determine what’s problematic; it’s for me to determine what’s accurate.”
Gill switched over to the topic of politeness, asking Hartig if she thought it was important for people to be polite to each other. She answered that it was. “Interesting. The same mass toolkit your organization has been promoting references politeness as a defining characteristic of white supremacy culture,” Gill told the director.
“Ma’am, are you a white supremacist?” Gill asked her pointedly. “No, sir,” she replied. “Can you help me square why your organization says that being polite is a part of being a white supremacist?” She answered that she was not familiar with the passage Gill was making a reference to. He told her he just read the passage to her. That ultimately wrapped up the conversation.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video