WATCH: ‘Shocking’ Ben Franklin smear leaves Smithsonian chief with ‘no regrets’

Key Points:

• Smithsonian National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig defended the museum's exhibits amid criticism, expressing pride in the museum’s work despite acknowledging occasional factual errors, such as a mislabeled coin.
• Heritage Foundation expert Mike Gonzalez criticized a special exhibit on Benjamin Franklin for suggesting, without evidence, that Franklin might have experimented with electroshock on indentured servants or enslaved people, calling it a "shocking" smear.
• The White House Domestic Policy Council released a report accusing the museum of promoting a "radical activist ideology" and ideological capture, claiming it uses taxpayer funds to advance a politically charged narrative rather than an honest, unifying American story.
• During congressional hearings, Hartig stated the museum takes the White House report seriously but disputed its fairness and accuracy, emphasizing the museum’s commitment to improvement and the value of its collections and programming.
• The Benjamin Franklin exhibit in question opened in 2021 and includes expanded material acknowledging Franklin’s use of family, friends, and possibly servants or enslaved people in electrical experiments, though it admits uncertainty about specifics.