Oppose Confirmation of Bradford P. Wilson as Archivist of the United States

I urge you to oppose the confirmation of Bradford P. Wilson as Archivist of the United States. Federal law explicitly requires that this nominee possess "the professional qualifications required to perform the duties and responsibilities of the office of Archivist" and be appointed "without regard to political affiliations." Wilson fails to meet either standard. Wilson has no experience in federal government, no background in archives or federal records management, and no executive-administrative experience leading large organizations. The National Archives and Records Administration is a complex, widely distributed independent federal agency that requires proven leadership capabilities. Wilson's most recent position was as the James Wilson Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Utah Valley University, and he previously served as Executive Director of the James Madison Program at Princeton University. Neither role prepared him to manage an agency of NARA's scope and importance. Equally concerning is Wilson's extensive record in ultra-conservative organizations that directly contradicts the statutory requirement for political neutrality. He served as a senior research fellow at the Witherspoon Institute, an organization with an anti-LGBTQIA+ agenda. He was president of the Association for the Study of Free Institutions, which explicitly seeks to counter progressive trends in education. He also served on the Advisory Council of the Great Hearts Institute, a charter-school organization. This pattern of partisan affiliation is precisely what federal law prohibits for this position. History demonstrates the damage partisan Archivists inflict on NARA, federal recordkeeping, and agency staff. The office has already been vacant for more than a year since the previous Archivist was fired without cause and without required congressional notification. Installing an unqualified, politically aligned nominee would compound this institutional harm. The National Archives safeguards our nation's historical record and ensures government accountability through proper records management. This position demands nonpartisan expertise, not ideological loyalty. I ask you to reject this nomination and insist on a qualified, genuinely nonpartisan candidate who can restore integrity to this critical institution.