Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts announced the staff appointments on Friday in view of conservative uproar over His statement defending Tucker Carlson for interviewing white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
Roberts selected Derrick Morgan, the think tank’s executive vice president, to serve as acting chief of staff until the end of the year. Ryan Neuhaus, who served in this position, was moved to the position of senior advisor.
He made the announcement in an email to employees late Friday with the subject line: “Heritage’s stance against anti-Semitism and for civilizational truth.”
The email, obtained by The Hill, opened by saying the think tank “initiated and expanded several explicit efforts to combat antisemitism” under his leadership.
“Our position on Israel is principled and balanced: there is a vast difference between believing Israel can do no wrong and blaming it for every mistake it makes,” the Heritage chief wrote.
Roberts further stated that the organization “also stands strongly against cancel culture,” but “rejecting cancel culture does not mean tolerating evil.”
He added, “In legacy, we understand the moment we are in. This is a time for moral courage and conviction. We will continue to lead – not by silencing dissent, but by confronting bad ideas with truth and defeating them.”
The think tank’s president said the changes were made “to ensure that we meet this moment with focus and excellence.”
He wrote, “Ryan is a vital part of our team and is joining the Simon Center as a senior advisor to work on critical issues, including housing. “Ryan’s energy and skills will be a great benefit to our efforts to preserve the intellectual and moral foundations of our nation’s founding. I know he will thrive in this new role.”
Neuhaus had joined the legacy To become chief of staff in January 2025, after serving as legislative director for Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah). He reposted several messages on social media in support of Roberts’ statement, including one that was particularly controversial. statement Heritage employees who were “virtual signaling” in the wake of the statement said they “should resign if they are so displeased,” and that “it would be a disservice to the institution.”
Heritage’s B. The Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies, where he was reappointed, is “dedicated to preserving the intellectual and moral foundations of our nation’s founding.”
Morgan, in his role as executive vice president, oversees policy, communications and government relations functions. he had before this Served as chief of staff to Heritage’s founder and president, Ed Feulner. who died earlier this year.
“This structure ensures we finish the year strong – in a united and disciplined manner,” Roberts wrote in an email to employees. “This change also shows that we, as a team, must continue to integrate, adapt and move faster and deliver Heritage 2.0.”
conservative magazine national review informed On Roberts’ email announcement to employees early Saturday.
Roberts, who has led conservative think tanks more aligned with the MAGA base, posted a Video statement on Thursday Emphasizing that the “toxic coalition” attacking Carlson over the interview with Fuentes was “sowing division” and that “efforts to cancel him will fail.” But he also argued that “canceling” Fuentes is not the answer.
due to this heavy reaction From Heritage Partners conservative movementThere has been criticism from Republican officials, and even within Heritage — with one staffer telling The Hill that Fuentes is “not a person with views worthy of debate.”
In response to criticism, Roberts wide friday In another statement on what he hates about Fuentes’s views: “He is promoting Jew hatred, and his incitements are not only immoral and un-Christian, they risk violence.”
The conservative civil war over anti-Semitism, the debate over who deserves criticism of Israel, has also sparked public statements on anti-Semitism from members of Heritage’s own board of trustees.
Trustee Robert P. George, professor of jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, wrote in an article Saturday Post on social platform That “the conservative movement, though it can and should be a broad tent, cannot include or accommodate white supremacists or racists of any kind, anti-Semites, eugenicists, or others whose ideologies are inconsistent with a belief in the inherent and equal dignity of all.”
“I will not accept the idea – I cannot – that we have no enemy on the right,” George Ongoing“White supremacists, anti-Semites, eugenicists, bigots should not be welcomed into our movement or considered normal or acceptable.”
roberts Said Carlson defended himself in his initial video statement, saying that “the American people expect us to focus on our political opponents on the left, not attack our friends on the right.”
Heritage Board Trustee John Coleman, co-CEO of Sovereign Capital, also responded in a post online Saturday.
He wrote, “You can’t be a devout Christian and an anti-Semite (or racist generally).” “Anti-Semitism is the rejection of core elements of the Christian faith on many fronts.”
