'Do You Stand By That?': Suhas Subramanyam Grills Heritage Foundation Witness On His Remarks

[00:00:00]to remind you.

[00:00:03]>> I thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh so, we're here for a a hearing entitled rewriting American history examining the Smithsonian's efforts to reshape the past. And this is in response to a domestic policy council report. The domestic policy council is a a part of the White House. And what's interesting is that I was looking back.

[00:00:24]This seems to be one of the only domestic policy council stand-alone reports this year, in fact, perhaps this administration. The only one I could find was the last one they did on the national report on paper straws. And so, this is how our domestic policy council is spending its time at a time where we have higher costs across the board, where we have uh a war going on in the Middle East, and where we have uh people hurting every single day uh losing their access to health care, losing their access to food assistance because this domestic policy council recommended it be cut. That's where we are right now. And uh I think it's really important uh Mr. Gonzales, I want to go back to a quote you quoted Stanley Kurtz in your opening saying, "You can say that the economy and foreign policy are more important than these cultural battles over the long haul." That's simply not true. Do you stand by that that these cultural um battles are more important than our economy and our foreign policy?

[00:01:23]>> Oh, absolutely. Yes. I think it was Lincoln who said no no soldier no foreign soldier >> think that So, you think that this this particular hearing on what the Smithsonian where the Smithsonian is putting Thomas Jefferson's desk is more important than people facing higher utility costs?

[00:01:38]>> That's not how what the report is looking at right now.

[00:01:41]>> That's what you just said. That's what >> No, no, no, no, no. The report is >> that the cultural battles are more important >> Yes.

[00:01:46]>> to you and more important than the higher costs of living that Americans are facing today.

[00:01:52]>> over the long term, they are. And it's not about where the where Thomas Jefferson's desk is.

[00:01:56]>> I think that I think the president would agree with you. I think this administration would agree with you and that's how they've acted. And so let's just talk about the report since everyone wants to be here to talk about it seems. The report actually had a lot of things that weren't true. For instance, the opening of it talked about how the the Smithsonian wasn't speaking enough about America 250, but I looked at the Smithsonian's website and the first thing it talked about was America 250. A director Hartig Did did the Smithsonian talk about America 250?

[00:02:28]>> Yes, sir. We've been planning for years to celebrate the semi-quincentennial and it's an honor to do so.

[00:02:34]>> And and the report complained that Thomas Jefferson's writing desk and George Washington's uniform were not on prominent display. Were they on display at the American History Museum?

[00:02:44]>> Yes, sir. And then we're honored that the Jefferson's writing desk went over to the Smithsonian Castle to be part of Secretary Bunch's American Aspirations exhibition.

[00:02:53]>> And then it said it didn't have quotes from the Declaration of Independence. I guess they were nitpicking about one specific sentence. Did our quotes from the Declaration of Independence on full display at the the museum?

[00:03:06]>> Yes, sir.

[00:03:07]>> Okay, so it seems like it wasn't a very good report either. But I looked back and they by their admission it was a month long report involving multiple staff. Mr. Gonzales, how much money do you think that report cost the American taxpayers? Cuz you're at the Heritage Foundation, so I know you care a lot about American taxpayers.

[00:03:23]>> I have no idea.

[00:03:24]>> You have no idea? You didn't ask about how much the report actually cost and no one knows.

[00:03:27]>> would be hard to assess given all the input that went into the report, how much it cost.

[00:03:32]>> I asked I asked AI and they said probably millions potentially. Yeah, so yeah. Because of staff time, because of outside >> advise you against using AI however, personally.

[00:03:40]>> Well, sounds good. Well, I had to ask somebody because he didn't have the answer to >> Yeah, it hallucinates a lot.

[00:03:44]>> Yeah, sounds good. Well, the other thing is do you think there should be mentions of of Trump's impeachment at the museum?

[00:03:51]>> Um sure.

[00:03:53]I mean, yeah, it happened. It's history.

[00:03:55]>> Do you think there should be a wing of the museum dedicated to President Trump?

[00:03:59]>> I I don't I have no idea. I'm not a curator. I don't know whether there should be a wing dedicated to President Trump.

[00:04:06]>> do you think there should be a a wing of the museum dedicated to President Trump?

[00:04:09]>> I don't think there should be a wing dedicated to any one president.

[00:04:12]>> Okay, interesting. Even George Washington?

[00:04:15]>> Uh, I think in the context of what he did in terms of the American Revolution, the revolution, that kind of thing.

[00:04:19]>> I think what's actually happening it's not that you don't want ideology in the museum, it's that you want your ideology in the museum. And you want the museum to reflect your values, your specific views on things, and not the views of what actually happened, which was the facts. And so, that's what we want is we want the facts in the museum. We want people to come away with patriotism because they will if you show them the facts of this great country. And so, I applaud for everything that's happened in this first 250 years of America, the good and the bad. The bad wouldn't have led to as good as what we've gotten. I look forward to the next 250 years. I look forward to teaching my kids and grandkids the facts. I yield back.

[00:04:54]>> We agree.

[00:04:54]>> Great.