Washington D.C. — The director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Anthea Hartig, appeared before congressional committees this week to address concerns surrounding a controversial exhibit and a scathing White House report. Lawmakers pressed Hartig on the museum’s exhibit titled “The Electric Dr. Franklin,” which pondered the possibility of Benjamin Franklin using enslaved people and indentured servants in electrical shock experiments. The hearings also highlighted a newly released 162-page report from the White House Domestic Policy Council, accusing the museum of ideological bias.
"Why smear a Founding Father such as Ben Franklin by pondering such a really bizarre thing" — Mike Gonzalez, Heritage Foundation Expert
The "Electric Dr. Franklin" exhibit, which debuted in 2021 and ran for four years before closing in 2025, raised particular ire among some members of Congress and conservative experts. During a House hearing on Tuesday, Mike Gonzalez, an expert from the Heritage Foundation, criticized the exhibit for "ponder[ing] whether he had ever done experiments, electrical electroshock on indentured servants or slaves" without, in his view, producing any supporting evidence. Gonzalez expressed his strong disapproval, asking the committee, "Why smear a Founding Father such as Ben Franklin by pondering such a really bizarre thing?"
Following Gonzalez's testimony, Rep. Brian Jack, R-Ga., directly questioned Hartig about her tenure and whether she regretted any exhibits. Hartig, who assumed leadership of the museum in February 2019, responded with a firm defense of her institution's work. "I am incredibly proud of the work we’ve done, but we are imperfect, and we surely have made mistakes. But I don’t have any regrets," she stated. When pressed further by Rep. Jack to identify specific mistakes, Hartig cited a minor cataloging error concerning a coin in the American Presidency exhibit, rather than any content-related controversies. "There are always factual errors," she said, explaining that a volunteer had pointed out the mislabeling, which the museum subsequently corrected.
Despite the exhibit's closure, a webpage associated with "The Electric Dr. Franklin" remains active, detailing how "researchers also used people as conductors to determine how far an electrical charge might travel, and if electrical effects would fade with distance." The page notes that "Franklin wrote about experiments in which he took shocks and used family and friends in these ways, although he seldom identified who in particular assisted him." It then extends the theory to his household staff, stating that "indentured servants and enslaved people in his household could also have been used, although we may never know for certain." This phrasing has been a central point of contention for critics who argue it speculates without sufficient historical backing.
The congressional scrutiny and the Franklin exhibit controversy are part of a broader critique leveled against the Smithsonian Institution. The White House Domestic Policy Council's report, titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," was released to coincide with America's 250th birthday and contains sweeping accusations against the museum. The report alleges that the museum has deviated from its core mission of presenting a unified national narrative, instead becoming "far more divisive."
The White House report explicitly states its lack of trust in the institution's current leadership and interpretive ideology. It claims that the "Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of American History in particular, under its current leadership and current interpretive ideology, cannot be trusted to tell America’s story honestly and in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic." The council’s language intensifies, asserting that "by the intention and at the direction of current Museum and Smithsonian leadership, NMAH has 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."
Hartig directly addressed these findings during her testimony, countering the White House's assessment. She told lawmakers that "the Smithsonian takes the concerns raised in the White House Domestic Policy Counsel’s report seriously, and as we continue to fact-check the report, we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum." She concluded her defense by emphasizing the institution's strengths, stating, "there is always room for improvement, but I also know the beauty and the inspiration and the expertise that lies in our collections, our exhibits and our programming."
Neither the Smithsonian Institution nor the National Museum of American History has offered further public comment beyond Hartig's testimony. Mike Gonzalez has also not issued additional remarks. The ongoing standoff between congressional Republicans, the Trump Administration, and one of the nation’s most prominent cultural institutions over the interpretation of American history shows no signs of resolution.
