More details have emerged around the resignation of Kim Sajet, former director of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., who left her post after President Donald Trump said he fired her via social media.
Many raised questions about whether Trump had the legal authority to make such a decision, and in fact, Saget continued to report on work until she officially quit her position. It now appears that one of the opponents of Trump’s demand for Sarget’s firing is a senior official: Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. is also the prime minister of the Smithsonian agency.
according to New York Times Reports on Roberts’ role in the Smithsonian, Roberts personally stopped internal recommendations on the board, and the agency followed Trump’s orders. Carlos Gimenez, a Republican representative from Florida, reportedly asked Roberts to reply: “We have filed a motion on the floor.”
Finally, the Smithsonian board finally issued a resolution claiming its board of directors and its board of directors have the power to fire directors from one of the museums. Nevertheless, the resolution also promises that the Smithsonians will “give directors reasonable time to make any necessary changes to ensure unbiased content and report progress to the board and any personnel changes required based on success or lack of any required personnel changes to make the required changes.”
Trump accused the Smithsonians of being “influenced by a separatist, race-centric ideology” and the resolution and review of Sarget’s leadership was in an executive order earlier this year. In his post claiming to fire Sajet, Trump called her “a highly partisan and a staunch supporter of Dei.”
Last week, Amy Sherald withdrew a planned iteration of the National Portrait Gallery’s plan midterm investigation, saying she was asked to remove the portrait of a trans woman posing in the Statue of Liberty from the exhibition.
