Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) challenged the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on Tuesday over an exhibit linking Mickey Mouse’s origins to blackface minstrelsy, accusing the museum of injecting politics into American history.

Gill asked museum director Anthea Hartig whether Mickey Mouse was racist, citing an exhibit that describes the character as containing “vestiges of longstanding traditions of blackface minstrelsy” during the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency’s hearing on the Smithsonian. The hearing follows a White House report that argued the Smithsonian Institution had abandoned objective scholarship in favor of progressive activism.

Recommended Stories

Smithsonian unveils ‘Our Shared Future’ programming for America’s 250 celebrations

I toured Smithsonian’s Native American Museum. What I saw was pure anti-American propaganda

Trump demands Smithsonian honor George Washington with new statue and exhibition