The Heritage Foundation is facing internal turmoil after a board member of its antisemitism task force resigned Wednesday in protest of the think tank’s defense of Tucker Carlson. The Heritage Foundation controversy follows Carlson’s controversial and friendly interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and the subsequent remarks by Heritage President Kevin Roberts acknowledging he “made the mess.”
Laurie Cardoza-Moore, founder of the Christian Zionist group Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, announced her resignation from Heritage’s National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, also known as Project Esther. “Kevin Robert’s recent statement following Tucker Carlson’s interview with Nick Fuentes was extremely concerning,” she said. “If the Heritage Foundation wants to stand on the right side of history, they must cut all ties with antisemites.”
Cardoza-Moore said she had previously told Carlson “in person and publicly, he is a dangerous antisemite.” Her resignation came after Roberts defended Carlson while criticizing “cancel culture,” saying, “You can say you’re not going to participate in canceling someone while also being clear you’re not endorsing everything they’ve said.”
In video remarks obtained by The Washington Free Beacon, Roberts told Heritage members, “I let you down and I let down this institution. Period. Full stop. I made the mess, let me clean it up.”
High-ranking Heritage staffers expressed frustration internally, with one writing, “I’m disgusted by this and don’t understand how this premeditated and orchestrated response could come out of one of the biggest think tanks in the world.”
Carlson, meanwhile, defended his decision to host Fuentes, claiming he wanted to expose the far-right activist’s ideas publicly. “Nick Fuentes can’t be cancelled,” he said. “He’s the most influential voice for men under 30 in the United States.” Carlson added, “The idea that I hate Jews — obviously I don’t hate Jews at all.”
Roberts later clarified that while he opposed Fuentes’ antisemitic remarks, he would not join those seeking to “cancel” Carlson, calling the campaign against him “a venomous coalition sowing division.”
