Smithsonian sends more records to White House as deadline arrives

The Smithsonian’s secretary, Lonnie G. Bunch III, said in an email on Tuesday that the institution had transmitted additional materials to respond to a White House request for records about its content, plans and operations, part of an effort the Smithsonian called a bid to be “transparent and open.” The submission included digital photographs of labels, placards and other text on public display in several galleries and was described as another installment in a rolling document transfer.

Mr. Bunch has previously said the institution, long viewed as independent, could not turn over all materials about its internal operations demanded by the White House, but that the Smithsonian would continue to provide relevant materials to government stakeholders. The exchanges follow months of tensions that began last March when President Trump issued Executive Order 14253, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” saying the Smithsonian had emphasized America’s flaws.

The dispute intensified after the White House demanded records from eight museums and after Mr. Trump announced in May that he was firing Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery; Ms. Sajet resigned. The White House had demanded full compliance by Jan.

Key Topics

Politics, Smithsonian Institution, White House, Lonnie Bunch, Kim Sajet