The impeachment of President Donald J. Trump was on, then it was off, and now it is on again — at least so goes an exhibit at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.
The iconic museum stated Saturday it would “update” an exhibit “in coming weeks” at the National Museum of American History to “reflect all impeachment proceedings in U.S. history,” though it removed a makeshift reference to President Trump’s two impeachments from the exhibit in late July.
As Breitbart News reported last week, the removal of the placard noting those impeachments sent several Democrat politicians into a rhetorical hyperdrive, claiming President Trump had pressured the museum and was “rewriting” American history.
However, in its statement released Saturday, the Smithsonian pushed back on those allegations, saying it was an esthetic decision. It stated:
The placard, which was meant to be a temporary addition to a twenty-five year-old exhibition, did not meet the museum’s standards in appearance, location, timeline and overall presentation. It was not consistent with other sections in the exhibit and moreover blocked the view of the objects inside its case. For these reasons, we removed the placard. We were not asked by any Administration or other government official to remove content from the exhibit.
The controversy surrounded the exhibit called “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden.”
A section covers the impeachments of former presidents Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. It also cites Richard Nixon, who resigned the presidency in 1974 rather than face certain impeachment. The exhibit was built and debuted in 2000.
In 2021, the museum attached an add-on placard noting the impeachment of Trump in 2019 and 2021.
When it was removed in July, the museum promised it would update the exhibit in the future to “reflect all the impeachments.”
But that didn’t stop longtime opponent California Sen. Adam Schiff (D). He posted on X that “Donald Trump wants you to forget” alongside New York Times banner headlines of both proceedings.
Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s media office also got in on the act, accusing the president of “censoring” the museum “like it’s the Epstein list.”
They and others apparently saw a political opportunity to pile on following administration criticism in early July that the Smithsonian too often promoted leftist themes, including “framing American culture as inherently violent, imperialist, or racist.”
The attacks also evoked a continuing theme by Democrats that Trump is a “dictator,” cut from the same cloth as tyrants Joseph Stalin and Adolph Hitler, who actually erased and manipulated documents and historical photographs to serve their extreme agendas.
The Democrat-led House first impeached President Trump in 2019 related to efforts to allegedly pressure Ukraine to investigate corruption by the Biden family. Democrat lawmakers did it again in 2021, accusing the president of inciting the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
As with presidents Johnson and Clinton, President Trump was acquitted in the Senate in both cases. President Nixon resigned rather than face lawmakers.
“As the keeper of memory for the nation, it is our privilege and responsibility to tell accurate and complete histories,” the Smithsonian said in its statement.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
