Lonnie Bunch III, the head of the Smithsonian Institution, has announced his retirement. His exit comes at a time when the Trump administration has been putting heavy pressure on the museum organization, and also as several White House staffers are reportedly planning to leave their jobs.
In a recently released Department of the Interior letter, the administration said the Smithsonian leadership’s “institutional culture may have resulted in significant violations of Federal antidiscrimination law. He held a role that placed him at the center of President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the world’s largest museum organization. He added, “I leave with pride and sadness, gratitude and joy, and with enormous confidence in the people who will carry this remarkable institution forward. However, Bunch’s departure comes as the Trump administration has increased its scrutiny of the Smithsonian. The administration has accused its leadership of allowing progressive ideas to influence how American history is presented and has raised concerns about possible violations of federal nondiscrimination law. The letter did not provide specific evidence of illegal activity. The administration warned that federal agencies could withdraw some forms of support if the Smithsonian does not address its concerns.
Bunch, 73, said in multiple interviews that his retirement was not related to pressure from the Trump administration to make changes to the institution, as per CNN.
Lonnie Bunch III said he will retire as the head of the Smithsonian Institution, as per CNN . “It is with very mixed emotions and heartfelt gratitude that I announce my retirement from the Smithsonian,” Bunch said in a statement on Tuesday. It alleged that this included creating a hostile work environment and giving opportunities, funding and other benefits based on race, ethnicity and other protected characteristics, according to the New York Post . It said an “appropriate response” from the Smithsonian “must likewise address executive leadership and institutional ideology. Greg Werkheiser, an attorney involved in lawsuits against the Trump administration, said Bunch’s departure should raise concerns. “Whatever words are used to describe his departure, it comes after an extraordinary campaign of political pressure on the Smithsonian and its leadership,” he said, adding, “Americans should be deeply concerned whenever political power is used to make the people entrusted with telling our nation’s history fear for their jobs if they tell that history honestly.”
