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Washington — The Heritage Foundation, an influential conservative think tank, is in turmoil after its leader defended former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who interviewed white nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes on his popular online show. 

The controversy has led to several resignations as the think tank — , a conservative policy blueprint meant to guide President Trump's second administration — addresses the fallout. 

As Carlson was criticized by conservatives for giving Fuentes a platform, Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts stepped in to defend Carlson, pushing back on speculation that the think tank was distancing itself from its "close friend" and decrying the "venomous coalition" attacking the former cable news host. 

"The Heritage Foundation didn't become the intellectual backbone of the conservative movement by canceling our own people or policing the consciences of Christians, and we won't start doing that now," Roberts said in shared on Oct. 30. 

"Their attempt to cancel [Carlson] will fail," he continued. "I disagree with and even abhor things that Nick Fuentes says, but canceling him is not the answer either." 

Over the following week, at least five members of the Heritage Foundation's antisemitism task force have resigned in protest over Roberts' initial social media post, Autos News has confirmed. Roberts' chief of staff also resigned after initially pushing back online, saying internal critics were "virtue signaling" and suggesting they should resign "if so outraged" over the comments.

Economist Stephen Moore, the co-founder of the conservative organization Club for Growth, announced Thursday that he is resigning from his Heritage Foundation position as senior visiting fellow after 12 years in the role. A source familiar with his decision pointed to the controversy over Roberts' defense of Carlson and the ensuing backlash. 

Fuentes, who found popularity in the far-right movement in the aftermath of the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has a history of making antisemetic, misogynistic and racist comments. 

The 27-year-old political commentator has claimed the Holocaust was "exaggerated," "a lot of women want to be raped" and White people are "justified" in being racist. 

Fuentes and his far-right online followers, who refer to themselves as "groypers," have existed on the fringes of right-wing politics. Mr. Trump hosted Fuentes and rapper Kanye West at his Mar-a-Lago resort in 2022. But in an interview with "Face the Nation" in 2024, Vice President JD Vance Fuentes, who has questioned his loyalty to "white identity," citing his interracial marriage. 

"Do we really expect that the guy who has an Indian wife and named their kid Vivek is going to support white identity?" Fuentes said.

Vance responded on "Face the Nation" last year by calling Fuentes a "total loser" and saying his philosophy "doesn't have any room in the MAGA movement."

Roberts' comments drew condemnation from prominent conservatives like former Senate Majority Leader and commentator Ben Shapiro, who said the remarks "betray the legacy of Heritage."

On Oct. 31, in, Roberts elaborated on his comments about Fuentes, saying the Heritage Foundation denounces Fuentes' "vicious antisemitic ideology, his Holocaust denial, and his relentless conspiracy theories that echo the darkest chapters of history" and is "disgusted" by several of his other stances. 

"Our task is to confront and challenge those poisonous ideas at every turn to prevent them from taking America to a very dark place. Join us — not to cancel — but to guide, challenge, and strengthen the conversation, and be confident as I am that our best ideas at the heart of western civilization will prevail," Roberts wrote. 

This week, Roberts faced intense criticism during an all-staff meeting on Wednesday, according to of the nearly two-hour event obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. Some staff members called for Roberts' resignation and questioned his ability to continue to lead the organization. 

One attendee said she and others have no confidence in Roberts' leadership after the events of the last week and that he showed "a stunning lack of both courage and judgment." Another attendee said "enormous damage" has been done to the Heritage Foundation's reputation. 

Roberts apologized while also blaming his now-former chief of staff for the original video, saying the former employee "had the pen" and had been made to believe that the script had been approved by a handful of other Heritage colleagues. 

"I made a mistake and I let you down and I let down this institution," Roberts said. "And I am sorry for that. Period. Full stop." 

He also apologized for using the phrase "venomous coalition," which is seen as an antisemitic trope, calling it "a terrible choice of words."