The Trump administration on Tuesday removed Doug Emhoff from his role on the governing board of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., as part of a broader effort by the president to reshape the institution with appointees who more firmly back Israel.
Emhoff, the spouse of Kamala Harris, who served as vice president under the previous administration, was one of several individuals named by the Biden administration who were dismissed from the board by President Trump.
“Today, I was informed of my removal from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council,” Emhoff announced in a post on X. “Let me be clear: Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized. To turn one of the worst atrocities in history into a wedge issue is dangerous — and it dishonors the memory of six million Jews murdered by Nazis that this museum was created to preserve.”
Emhoff, who is Jewish, had previously worked on the White House task force against antisemitism during the Biden administration, especially in the wake of rising antisemitic incidents following the October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel. He was appointed to the council in January and was scheduled to hold the seat for five years.
Other individuals recently removed from the museum board include several high-profile figures from the Biden and Obama administrations: Ron Klain, who had been Biden’s chief of staff; Tom Perez, who served as an adviser in the Biden White House; Anthony Bernal, a close aide to Jill Biden; and Susan Rice, who was national security adviser under Barack Obama. Their dismissals were confirmed by a White House official.
The New York Times was the first to break the story of the terminations.
“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council is terminated, effective immediately,” read a message from the White House Presidential Personnel Office, according to the Times. The message concluded, “Thank you for your service.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The New York Post that the president plans to name replacements who show greater alignment with his administration’s pro-Israel stance.
“President Trump looks forward to appointing new individuals who will not only continue to honor the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, but who are also steadfast supporters of the State of Israel,” she said.
{Matzav.com}