Kim Sajet, the longtime former Director of the National Portrait Gallery who is alleged to have backed left-wing policies, has finally decided to step down, two weeks after President Donald Trump announced he was firing her.
Trump called the director a “highly partisan person” and a “strong supporter of DEI” in a May 30 Truth Social post. The Smithsonian Institution, of which the gallery is part of, issued a statement Monday, saying that it is in control of personnel decisions, as a rebuttal to Trump’s attempt to dismiss Sajet.
“This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one,” Sajet said in her statement of departure, as reported by the New York Times on Friday. “Today, I believe that stepping aside is the best way to serve the institution I hold so deeply in my heart.”
The White House compiled a list of grievances concerning Sajet, claiming that she is an inappropriate choice for the director of a Smithsonian Museum, according to the New York Times. As a result of the list, Secretary Lonnie Bunch of the National Portrait Gallery committed in an email to staff to evaluate “the need for any changes to policies, procedures, or personnel,” the Times reported.
Sajet served as the director of the National Portrait Gallery from April 2013, making donations to left-wing causes, and spearheading events at the gallery backing leftist racial ideology.
Trump has cracked down against DEI during his second White House term via the signing of multiple executive orders.
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