Conservative Think Tank Faces Political Firestorm as Robert P. George Resigns Over Leadership Controversy

Princeton scholar Robert P. George’s resignation from the Heritage Foundation has sparked a political firestorm within the conservative movement, with prominent thinkers condemning President Kevin Roberts’ leadership as a failure. The decision to step down was triggered by Roberts’ refusal to criticize Tucker Carlson following Carlson’s podcast interview with white nationalist Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, marking the boldest public rebuke of a think tank many conservatives now say is spiraling into moral collapse.

The reaction among leading conservatives was swift and nearly unanimous, with critics declaring Roberts as the problem. Some, including the Reagan Caucus, are encouraging donors to stop donating to the organization. A roundup of conservatives who expressed support for George’s decision includes Bryan Leib, a former congressional candidate who resigned from the National Taskforce to Combat Antisemitism, stating: “Thank you Robert P. George for showing the conservative movement what moral clarity and courage looks like.” Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow at Manhattan Institute, noted: “Robby George was the head of the ‘Kevin Roberts showed terrible judgment and there need to be consequences’ camp, which has apparently lost out to ‘everything is well, nothing to see here’ camp. Heritage will now decline as an institution (or we will decline as a nation). Sad.” David Harsanyi, senior writer at the Washington Examiner, remarked: “An organization that picks Tucker Carlson over Robert P. George isn’t one worth anyone’s support.”

Kevin Vallier, conservative political philosopher, stated: “A major decision. George’s resignation sends a powerful signal that Heritage’s response to this crisis is insufficient.” Richard Mersereau, conservative strategist, expressed: “THE WRONG DAMN PERSON RESIGNED! To my mind, @McCormickProf Robert P. George, together with George Weigel, represent the very best of modern conservative thought. By his actions, Professor George shows he lives his beliefs. So very sad Heritage loses someone of his character & conviction.” Bethany Mandel, conservative commentator, added: “Not the resignation I was hoping to see at @Heritage. Nothing but respect for @McCormickProf” and Richard Reinsch, editor in chief of Civitas Institute, noted: “Robert George is out, Tucker is in.”

Kim Holmes, former assistant secretary of state, stated: “The Heritage Foundation has been adrift a long time. The most recent controversy is not an anomaly. Robbie George’s resignation from the board shows that finally some on the board are standing up. Nothing in Heritage’s leadership will ever change until the board changes.” Ilya Somin, legal scholar, noted: “Robert George is right about the moral rot at Heritage, and he’s not the one who needs to leave, though I totally understand his reasons for doing so. I’m a former Heritage intern (way back in 1994) but would never work with them today.” Avik Roy, co-founder and chairman, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, stated: “Sorry to see Robbie George leave @Heritage though I completely understand his reasons for doing so. He represents what was best about that institution.”

The Reagan Caucus noted: “This also means that things were bleak at Heritage. His best hope was to warn conscientious donors to move their money elsewhere.” Joel Griffith, economist and Advancing American Freedom senior fellow, stated: “One of the finest members of The @Heritage board (Professor @McCormickProf) publicly resigned today as @KevinRobertsTX refuses to fully retract his defense of @TuckerCarlson. This dims hopes that a majority of the board is prepared to fulfill its three fiduciary duties.” Daniel Mael, “Mael Time” podcast host, noted: “When a figure as principled and steady as Robert George resigns, the question isn’t why he left. The real question is what on earth is going on inside Heritage that pushed him out.”

George said he resigned because he could not remain without “a full retraction” of Roberts’ Oct. 30 video defending Carlson. “I have resigned from the board of the Heritage Foundation. I could not remain without a full retraction of the video released by Kevin Roberts, speaking for and in the name of Heritage, on October 30th.” He added that Roberts apologized for “some” of the video but refused to retract it. George closed by urging Heritage to remain faithful to “the moral principles of the Judeo-Christian tradition” and the view that every human being has “unalienable rights.”

The refusal by Roberts to denounce Carlson, plus Heritage’s sponsorship of the podcast, has led to a mass exodus of trustees, members, and donors. Senior Heritage fellows — including Stephen Moore, Christopher DeMuth, and Adam Mossoff — have also resigned in the wake of Heritage’s actions. Among those who resigned from the National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism include Zionist Organization of America President Morton Klein, as well as former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann. Heritagem told Newsmax it was “thankful for Professor George and his service to Heritage” and used George’s exit to praise Roberts’ leadership, insisting the think tank remained committed to “freedom, opportunity, prosperity.”