Heritage Foundation loses top officials to Mike Pence: NPR

More than a dozen staff members at the influential conservative think tank Heritage Foundation are leaving the organization to join a group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence.

The mass departure follows unrest within Heritage and the broader conservative movement over the role of right-wing influencers who have promoted anti-Semitic and other extremist ideas. These tensions came to light at Heritage after its president, Kevin Roberts, released a video defending Tucker Carlson for a friendly interview in October with Nick Fuentes, an avowed white nationalist who once praised Adolf Hitler. Roberts’ video sparked controversy within Heritage, prompting it to later apologize for it.

Pence’s think tank, Advancing American Freedom, or AAF, announced the hires Monday, saying they included leaders from the Heritage Foundation’s legal, economic and data teams.

In a statement, Pence praised the new hires and said they “bring a wealth of experience, a love of country, and a deep commitment to the Constitution and the conservative movement that will advance the cause of liberty.”

AAF President Tim Chapman told NPR that after learning of Heritage staff’s interest in leaving the organization, the AAF raised $13 million toward a goal of $15 million in two weeks to help fund their salaries over the next three years.

The move significantly increases the size of the AAF, Chapman said, growing the organization from 18 employees to more than 30. Chapman said the AAF is strengthening its research team in an effort to fill what she sees as a gap within the modern conservative movement.

Chapman said the AAF would promote traditional conservative ideas such as low taxes, strong national defense and limited regulation, at a time when he said the Republican Party and others on the right are fighting to define the future.

“I think what’s happening right now is that a movement that has been oriented around specific political figures and political leaders is starting to realize that these leaders are not going to be around forever, whether it’s President Trump or other leaders,” Chapman said.

“There is an end date for their leadership…And so the question now arises: What is the movement after this leadership structure, what does this movement represent after this?”

Meanwhile, in a statement to NPR, Heritage Foundation Director of Advancement Andy Olivastro accused some of the staffers who left of “disloyalty,” adding that the departures “pave the way for a stronger, more focused team.”

A task force focused on combating anti-Semitism recently severed ties with Heritage for related reasons. Heritage has played an influential role within the Trump administration, notably through the release of Project 2025, which outlines a detailed list of conservative policy goals and plans, many of which have been implemented by the administration.