Jim DeMint has been and will always be a hero to me. Trump would be very wise to hire DeMint in an advisory position if he truly wants to drain the swamp of all rinos. I am DONE with the Heritage Foundation.
Good to see you, Katie.
According to the general theory, posited by CTH (theconservativetreehouse.com), which was directed to a different but similar case, Sundance said we never really lose these people. (Even the bad ones, unfortunately.)
There is a musical chairs process for the politically connected, and also for the “elite”. A senator can run for governor if he senses trouble, or someone moves to a “think tank” from serving as a representative, or senator.
In this case, the researchers are thought to be very good ones, experts, and very productive. Their expertise is shared with like minded candidates who are running for office, from say Cruz to also Trump, to the committees on the Hill.
So, we still have the popular DeMint, and we still have the researchers. The problem guy was at the top, apparently this Needham person. Heritage is donor supported and Needham has caused a mess, apparently on all sides.
All these good people are available to re-group elsewhere together, or apart, but I hope their work goes on wherever they land, as each has proven valuable to conservative thought. I believe they will land on their feet, particularly DeMint, and the researchers will continue to produce the work they love, but from some other perch.