When President Trump announced late last month that he was firing Kim Sajet, the longtime director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery, some wondered whether he even had the authority to make such a move. The Smithsonian doesn't seem to think so, as evidenced in a statement issued Monday evening that "could be read as a rejection" of Trump's termination attempt, per the Los Angeles Times.
The paper notes the statement didn't say outright that Sajet would be sticking around in her role, and there was no response to the Times' further queries on the matter. But the statement kicks off with a firm assertion: "In 1846, the Smithsonian was established by Congress as an independent entity." It goes on to say that "throughout its history, the Smithsonian has been governed and administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary. The board is entrusted with the governance and independence of the Institution, and the board appoints a Secretary to manage the Institution." That secretary is currently Lonnie Bunch, who the statement says "has the support of the Board of Regents in his authority and management of the Smithsonian."
Sajet herself has been ignoring Trump's pink slip, with sources reporting that she's continuing to show up for work and "conducting meetings and handling other museum business as she did before," per the Washington Post. That paper notes that Trump, who has accused Sajet of being "highly partisan" and too supportive of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, has yet to provide a legal reason for trying to fire her. (For further reading: NPR dives into the "can he/should he" questions around Trump's move to oust Sajet.)
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