Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III hit back after the White House accused the National Museum of American History of pushing extreme political activism in a report.

In an email to staffers obtained by the Washington Post, Bunch said, "We will continue to review the report and its findings carefully." He noted, "There will always be room for improvement."

But he pushed back on the White House’s report, calling it "not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History."

 "At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy, and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America’s story," Bunch said.

The 162-page report, "Saving America's Story," was released Saturday by the White House Domestic Policy Council following President Donald Trump's March executive order, "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," and the ongoing review of the Smithsonian.

The report said that the Smithsonian's flagship history museum has abandoned its original mission of fostering patriotism in favor of political activism rooted in what it describes as critical social justice ideology.

"Our central finding is not that the Museum has simply added overlooked stories," the report stated. "Rather, it is that Museum leadership has explicitly adopted an ideological framework that no longer treats the American story as a shared national inheritance to be taught or celebrated, but as a political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens."

Bunch said the Smithsonian remained committed to "scholarship, nonpartisanship, independence, accuracy, and integrity."

In a statement after the report was released, a spokesperson for the Smithsonian Institute said, "For more than 180 years, the Smithsonian has served the American public with nonpartisan and independent scholarship, and we remain committed to doing so."