The conservative shakeup now unfolding inside Washington’s policy world is reshaping the American right, as a wave of senior Heritage Foundation officials defect to a nonprofit led by former vice president Mike Pence. Leaders at Advancing American Freedom say the conservative shakeup reflects deeper realignments over leadership, credibility, and the movement’s direction.
AAF president Tim Chapman described the hiring of more than a dozen former Heritage employees as nothing less than a movement reset. “People are voting with their feet as to where they feel they are best suited to be,” Chapman said, calling the expansion a “reorganization of the conservative movement.”
The departures follow backlash to an October video released by Heritage president Kevin Roberts that criticized Tucker Carlson’s critics after Carlson interviewed neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes. Since then, AAF has absorbed entire Heritage divisions, including its legal, economics, and data teams. Former Heritage legal chief John Malcolm now leads AAF’s Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law, while Richard Stern and Kevin Dayaratna head new free enterprise and data centers.
The internal fallout at Heritage has accelerated. Three board members resigned, and multiple scholars followed. Josh Blackman wrote that Roberts’s “actions have made [his] continued affiliation with Heritage untenable,” adding, “your comments were a huge unforced blunder, and gave aid and comfort to the rising tide of antisemitism on the right.”
Amy Swearer, now at AAF, described Roberts’s response as “a master class in cowardice that ran cover for the most unhinged dregs of the far right.” Chapman said the video proved decisive. “I think the infamous video really put everyone over the edge.”
The conservative shakeup also prompted Heritage’s National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism to sever ties. Chairman Marc Short said the focus now is reinforcing conservative support for Israel, noting, “Being able to reach some of the Christian evangelical audiences with our nation’s heritage and why we have a relationship with Israel… will be important to our organization moving forward.”
