White Supremacy, Mickey Mouse, Politeness: Rep. Gill Takes on Smithsonian Director
“Ma’am, are you a white supremacist?”
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) always does a great job when questioning witnesses during Congressional hearings. Calm and cool with no theatrics.
Gill displayed his skills today when the House Oversight Committee brought in Anthea Hartig, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, over the woke exhibits.
Gill asked Hartig if the goal of history was to be objective.
Hartig provided Gill with the answer he needed: “We strive to be objective and nonpartisan and not based on any idea.”
Gill immediately launched into the “MASS Action Toolkit,” which says that objectivity is a tool of white supremacy.
White Supremacy
Oh, how Gill catches Hartig:
GILL: So it’s one of the goals. Doesn’t that seem a little bit concerning? It certainly does to me because, as part of this white supremacy document that your organization has promoted, objectivity as a core and defining aspect of white supremacy culture. Do you think that it’s the goal of the Smithsonian Institution to promote white supremacy culture?
HARTIG: Sir Do you mind sharing with me which document?
GILL: White supremacy culture, right here. This is part of the MASS Action Toolkit that your organization has promoted for several years now under your leadership. Are you promoting a white supremacy culture at the Smithsonian?
HARTIG: Am I promoting a white…
GILL: Ma’am? Is this a difficult question.
HARTIG: No, sir. I’m just thinking about the mass action toolkit. We didn’t develop it, but back to your question. No, we’re not promoting any ideology.
GILL: Does it concern you that your goal is objectivity? One of your goals is objectivity, and your MASS Action Toolkit references objectivity as a defining characteristic of white supremacy culture.
HARTIG: It’s not our toolkit.
GILL: It is your toolkit. You’ve been promoting it for quite some time.
HARTIG: We did not come up with a toolkit, sir.
GILL: But you’ve been promoting it.
HARTIG: It is used as a reference, I believe, probably in 2019, 2020.
I asked the Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History why her organization promoted a "MASS Action Toolkit" that claimed "objectivity" is an aspect of "white supremacy culture." pic.twitter.com/XXKZED5ivy
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) July 21, 2026
Mickey Mouse
Ridiculous:
GILL: Yes, under your leadership, it has been used as a reference. Is Mickey Mouse racist?
HARTIG: Mickey Mouse is not racist.
GILL: It’s not racist? According to the Smithsonian Institution, one of your exhibits referenced Mickey Mouse as representing quote “vestiges of longstanding traditions of blackface minstrelsy.” Would you describe that as racist?
HARTIG: No, the historical trajectory of the origins of Mickey Mouse tie directly…
GILL: Mickey Mouse is rooted in racism. Is that your testimony?
HARTIG: No it’s rooted in minstrelsy.
GILL: Minstrelsy, and you don’t think the blackface minstrelsy is racist?
HARTIG: It had certain unobvious racial overtones that have been well documented.
GILL: Do you think that’s problematic? That Mickey Mouse also has those racial overtones?
HARTIG: It’s not for me to determine what’s problematic. It’s determined to me what’s accurate.
GILL: Is that right?
HARTIG: Yes.
The Smithsonian promoted an exhibit that claimed Mickey Mouse was racist.
I asked the Director of the National American History Museum why… pic.twitter.com/oY7Z9l4b7D
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) July 21, 2026
Polite
I had no idea you shouldn’t be polite:
GILL: Is it important to be polite?
HARTIG: Excuse me, sir?
GILL: Is it important to be polite?
HARTIG: Yes, sir.
GILL: It’s also interesting because the same MASS Action Toolkit that your organization has been promoting references politeness as a defining characteristic of white supremacy culture. Ma’am, are you a white supremacist?
HARTIG: No, sir.
GILL: You’re not. Can you help me square why your organization says that being polite is part of being a white supremacist?
HARTIG: I’m not exactly familiar with that passage of the MASS Action Toolkit, which is not what we developed here.
GILL: I can show you the MASS..
HARTIG: I don’t. Pardon me?
GILL: I said I just read you the passage from it.
HARTIG: And then your question, sir?
GILL: We’re going to move on.
The Smithsonian's "MASS Action Toolkit" said that politeness is a "defining aspect of white supremacy culture."
I asked the Director of the National Museum of American History if that means she's a white supremacist. pic.twitter.com/VUrIeUEZWt
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) July 21, 2026
Latina Power
No one can say white power. Every white person must be ashamed of their skin color, right?
Gill wants to know why the Smithsonian sells products that say Latina power:
GILL: What is Latina power?
HARTIG: What is Latino power?
GILL: Latina power.
HARTIG: Latina power would be the forces derived from being a Latina.
GILL: Do you think that it’s appropriate for the Smithsonian Institution to sell Latina power paraphernalia, hats, mugs, other things that say Latina power?
HARTIG: I believe that the merchandise our store sells…
GILL: I’m asking you if it’s appropriate.
HARTIG: …tries to reflect the richness of the communities.
GILL So your testimony is that it is appropriate.
HARTIG: Those are your words, sir.
GILL: I’m asking you: Is it appropriate to sell Latina power paraphernalia? It’s a yes or no question.
HARTIG: I don’t have control over what is…
GILL: I’m asking you if it’s appropriate. I didn’t ask you if you have control over it. Is it appropriate? Yes or no?
HARTIG: Again, we strive to represent all Americans and include…
GILL: Is it appropriate? Yes or no?
HARTIG: We strive to represent all Americans in our museums, including in our merchandise.
GILL: Is that right? My time’s up.
I asked the Director of the National Museum of American History if it was appropriate for the Smithsonian Institution to sell "Latina power" merchandise. pic.twitter.com/BjZg5xmIfS
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) July 21, 2026
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Comments
HARTIG: Latina power would be the forces derived from being a Latina.
The AWFUL isn’t director of anything. She(?) is a cartoon.
Shouldn’t she be in some med school, teaching men about their pregnancies?
HARTIG: Latina power would be the forces derived from being a Latina.
And what, pray tell, are those powers?
Do other races have superpowers too?
Those from Krypton. Superman, Supergirl, and Superdoggie.
Yes every race but white
Whites are polite and therefore racist
Me know blacks, as a whole, are not polite, save a few, and therefore not racist
Polite blacks are uncle toms
This is pretty amusing but does it serve a purpose other than generating articles, memes, and sound bites. If not shouldn’t congress be doing something substantial?
Q: What is the annual budget of the Smithsonian Institution?
A: The Smithsonian Institution’s annual budget exceeds $1.2 billion, with the federal government providing about two-thirds of this total through annual appropriations and the rest coming from private contributions, trust funds, and business revenues.
Government is experienced and brilliant at wasting money stolen from taxpayers.
That’s why committees exist. Some are able to devote time to things that can be characterized an “unproductive.” This is not to say that they are “unimportant.”
Most of the committee seem nothing more than kabuki dances with the senator/reps trying to score points and sound clips.
Well, yeah. Shut it down given what it has become.
The AWFLs and their allies/advocates gotta be driven out of the ‘temple’. They are unapologetically, irredeemably obtuse, pretending not to know whenever normies notice the batcrap Cray Cray things they say/do.
This will become productive only if either it becomes part of an effective campaign commercial in the midterms, or this individual and everyone responsible for the offensive exhibits and materials is fired.
We need a dozen more Gills in DC. He was suave and snarky all in one. All she could do was smirk and sneer at his obvious superiority over her schtick.
Why are these guys so ham-fisted when they cross-examine someone? Here’s how it should work:
Q: Are you “X”?
A: I was brought up in a middle class neighborhood and…
Q: I asked you whether you are “X”. Are you? Yes or no?
A: As I was saying, my grade school…
Q: I believe that you are “X.” If you fail to say you are not, I will register your answer as “yes, I am “X.” ”
A: It’s more nuanced….
Q: Good. So, yes, you admit that you are “X.” My next question is….
How the he!! is Mickey Mouse connected to minstrel shows? Because he sings and dances in his early films? By that standard every black musician is connected to minstrel shows.
Honestly it’s a mouse! Does that mean Donald Duck is an example of “white trash” because he wears. sailor suit and has anger management problems? Is Goofy a furry? Because he’s a dog that thinks he’s a person? Is Scrooge McDuck an example of Scottish supremacy and “white privledge” since he is money grubbing spendthrift? Don’t these people have anything better to do? like actually teach real history and spark critical thinking not focus on cartoon characters. But maybe this explains a lot about what passes as an educated person these days?
Donald Duck is an example of “white trash” because he wears. sailor suit?
He wears no pants. Early Mad Magazine made an issue of this.
You have to go way back to 1928 when Walt Disney was just starting out as an animator and his short eight minute film, “Steamboat Willie.”
He was known for picking and eating cotton when Mickey wasn’t called to be on set.
The mission of the Smithsonian is to “repair” historical facts or some such gobbledygook coming from the Director who looked like she doubled up on her pyschopharms for the hearing. She never did explain the historical necessity for the Crotch Support display. I would have liked to hear about that.