Top Heritage officials flee to Mike Pence’s nonprofit as think tank fractures

The Wall Street Journal via MSN ^ | Dec. 22, 2025 | Josh Dawsey

[GrootheWanderer]

Among those joining AAF are John Malcolm, the head of the foundation’s legal and judicial studies center, Kevin Dayaratna, the head of the foundation’s data analysis center and Richard Stern, the director of the foundation’s economic policy studies institute. AAF says it is bringing on about a dozen other staff members. Malcolm is taking seven members of his center’s team.

[GrootheWanderer]

Three entire units of Heritage — the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, and the Center for Data Analysis — are departing the think tank. Kevin Roberts trashed his own reputation and may have destroyed Heritage by defending Tucker Carlson. Ironically, but not unexpectedly, Carlson threw him under the bus at the first opportunity.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Erika Kirk is managing the newer generation wing. And has the momentum.

Heritage is older wing…

[Skywise]

What... and running to 30 cent Pence who sold this country out is a good thing?

Roberts did the right thing by defending the first amendment and should’ve stood by his statement instead of capitulating to communist style struggle sessions and giving a forced apology.

[Zathras]

The last of the old GOPe is dying.
Jumping to back Pence is probably their last song.

[ConservativeMind]

It is an interesting situation, seeing people choose to flock to RINOs.

Heritage should just continue. This whole bit over Tucker is blown way out of proportion. Nothing was said that deserved this pile-on.

[qam1]

Kevin Roberts trashed his own reputation and may have destroyed Heritage by defending Tucker Carlson.

Quite the opposite.

Regardless of where you come down on this whole Tucker-Fuentes nonsense, it was Kevin Roberts' apology that was the most saddest, pathetic thing a man could do and it was that which ruined his reputation as a Conservative and a man.

Plus making him do that pathetic humiliation ritual gave the so called anti-semites more ammunition.

Liberals make their followers do such things when they step out of line, Heritage should be ashamed of themselves and Kevin Roberts for going along with that should have himself castrated, because obvious his balls aren't functioning.

[marron]

Do these “think tanks” produce any actual work product, or are they just a way to pay politicians who are temporarily out of work?

[JoeVortex]

Good riddance.

Here is what Pence had to say in an interview with the Wall Street Journal:

"Heritage had “fallen” because it had embraced elements of isolationism, stopped backing Ukraine in the war with Russia, supported some tariffs and backed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS secretary, among other things."

1. embraced elements of isolationism CHECK

2. stopped backing Ukraine in the war with Russia CHECK, CHECK

3. supported some tariffs CHECK, CHECK, CHECK

4. backed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS secretary CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK

This imbecile thinks he is building his team for a Presidential run in 2028.

[buckalfa]

Yeah, just as the Democrats are having a tug of war between socialist and their traditional base, this likely the start of a comeback for control of the GOP by the neocon Bush Bots.

[cgbg]

I agree with your take.

Cuck-servatives give all conservatives a bad name.

[cgbg]

In the case of Heritage they produced Project 2025—and btw most of it has been turned into executive orders by the current administration.

Some of it got passed by Congress as well this year.

What they found out is that those who donate the big money get to make the rules.

See my tagline.

[Flaming Conservative]

You forgot the card tag.

[Flaming Conservative]

Sarc tag, not card.

[FreeReign]

In the case of Heritage they produced Project 2025—and btw most of it has been turned into executive orders by the current administration. Some of it got passed by Congress as well this year.

I believe Malcolm and the other two mentioned had little to nothing to do with Project 2025.

[fella]

Birds of a feather . . .

[RightOnTheBorder]

Most institutions started for good purposes eventually become moribund and at best exist only to perpetuate the institution itself. At worst they become an organ of the left wing monster.

I don’t know if the Heritage Foundation falls into this category but people jumping ship to something created by Pence indicates Heritage is lucky to be rid of them.

[9YearLurker]

God help us if that is true.

[Brian Griffin]

WIKI

In October 2025, Roberts released a video statement defending Tucker Carlson after Carlson interviewed far-right political commentator Nick Fuentes on The Tucker Carlson Show. Roberts argued that “Christians can critique the state of Israel without being antisemitic”

In November 2025, American legal scholar and longtime Heritage Foundation board member Robert P. George resigned from the organization, citing Roberts’s refusal to fully recant remarks he had made in a video response to commentator Tucker Carlson.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Roberts_(political_strategist)

[Brian Griffin]

too much to quote:

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/he-was-weak-tucker-carlson-stabs-heritages-kevin-roberts-in-the-back-after-fuentes-blow-up/

[cgbg]

The rest of the story...

Roberts bent the knee and recanted—over and over and over again.

He acted like he was a North Korean prisoner of war.