Heritage Foundation in Deepening Crisis as Roberts Defends Carlson Ties

Bryan Leib, a prominent leader in the Jewish community, has described the Heritage Foundation as facing an acute identity crisis following President Kevin Roberts’ refusal to resign amid escalating fallout from the Tucker Carlson-Nick Fuentes controversy.

In a recent interview, Leib characterized the situation as a “self-inflicted wound” that has worsened significantly in recent weeks under Roberts’ leadership.

“This is a self-inflicted wound that keeps on — the blood just keeps pouring out,” Leib said, placing responsibility squarely on Roberts’ “warm embrace of Tucker Carlson.”

Leib outlined a growing list of consequences for the once-dominant conservative think tank, stating that the damage has extended far beyond reputational concerns.

“Just a quick recap here over the last 60 days,” Leib told the interviewer. “They lost the very task force to monitor and combat antisemitism that was incubated at the Heritage Foundation. They’ve lost millions of dollars in donations. They’ve lost several of their most influential and most respected senior fellows.”

On Wednesday, Leib noted that two additional board members resigned, bringing the total number of departures at the board level to three.

“So it just continues to happen,” Leib said.

The controversy traces back to Carlson’s soft interview with Fuentes, a white nationalist Holocaust denier, which sparked outrage across political and donor circles. Critics have accused Heritage leadership of failing to distance itself from Carlson in the aftermath, instead choosing to stand by him despite mounting pressure.

Leib said that decision has left longtime supporters questioning what the Heritage Foundation now represents.

“A lot of people are really starting to wonder: who is Heritage Foundation, what are they all about?” Leib said. “No one really seems to know anymore other than they like to stand by Tucker Carlson.”

“That’s what everyone knows about Heritage Foundation right now,” he added.