Kevin D. Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, is under intensifying pressure to resign after acknowledging he was unaware of the controversy surrounding an interview between white nationalist Nick Fuentes and Tucker Carlson — an interview he publicly defended without, he now says, even understanding its content.
That claim drew guffaws from The New York Times, which published a scathing critique of Roberts' handling of his role in defending Carlson and Fuentes in their antisemitic tirades that have been widely condemned by Jewish, Christian, and conservative groups.
The Times particularly noted Roberts' admission to Heritage employees last week that he does not regularly follow current events and had relied entirely on a script drafted by an aide when he recorded a video attacking critics of Carlson's sit-down with Fuentes. That aide has since been reassigned.
"I actually don't have time to consume a lot of news," Roberts told his staff, according to footage published by conservative outlet The Washington Free Beacon.
"I consume a lot of sports," he added.
"I didn't know much about this Fuentes guy. I still don't."
Roberts also came under fire for never criticizing Carlson, whom Roberts describes as a "close personal friend."
Carlson's podcasts are filled with antisemitic tirades targeting Jews, Israel, and their supporters like Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas — in addition to promoting many wild conspiracy theories.
Roberts' lack of knowledge about Fuentes and his refusal to criticize Carlson have prompted astonishment and anger across the political spectrum.
Roberts — who holds a doctorate in history, earns more than $800,000 annually, and oversees a $100 million think tank budget — has suddenly found himself defending not only his judgment but also the premise that the head of one of the country's most influential conservative institutions would be unaware of a firestorm dominating conservative media.
Perhaps no critic of Roberts has been more blunt than Charles Jacobs, president of the Jewish Leadership Project, who resigned from a Heritage-led antisemitism task force after Roberts' video emerged.
"Who could believe that the head of a think tank doesn't think?" Jacobs asked. "If it's true, he's incompetent, and he should leave for that reason."
"And if it's not true," added Jacobs, "he's a liar."
Jacobs said the incident illustrated a broader cultural problem inside Heritage — one in which rhetorical provocation has been elevated over thoughtful leadership and moral clarity.
"At a moment of rising antisemitism, you simply cannot have the leader of a major institution claiming ignorance about Nick Fuentes," he said.
Inside the Heritage Foundation, the episode has set off the most significant internal dissent of Roberts' four-year tenure.
Senior legal fellow Amy Swearer confronted Roberts directly during a staff meeting, accusing him of displaying "a master class in cowardice" by shifting blame to subordinates.
"Those are not the actions of a man who knows what time it is," she said. "Frankly, I'm not even sure they're the actions of a man who knows how to tell time."
Swearer urged Roberts to resign as did a number of senior Heritage fellows, while other senior staff expressed disbelief that Roberts could not simply disassociate the foundation from Carlson and his antisemitic claims.
The uproar involving Roberts follows a series of internal strains that predate the Fuentes controversy. Heritage's political repositioning under Roberts has been cloudy for many.
After President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, Roberts signaled he no longer favored Trump and backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president. Roberts would later switch back to Trump after DeSantis was trounced in the GOP primaries.
Meanwhile Jacobs' comments reflect a sentiment now echoed well beyond Heritage's halls.
The Wall Street Journal's editorial board has criticized Roberts' handling of the episode as "stunning negligence," and Newsmax personalities have questioned whether Roberts' embrace of Tucker Carlson is distracting from Heritage's historic policy-driven mission.
Heritage has already been experiencing a steady brain drain and exodus over the scandal.
More than a dozen members of its National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism stepped down after the Carlson-Fuentes video, before the task force itself decided to break away from Heritage.
Among those who exited are former Rep. Michele Bachmann, lawyer Ian Spier, and Yaakov Menken, executive VP for the Coalition for Jewish Values. Both Menken and his organization resigned from the task force.
In recent weeks, prominent Heritage fellows including economist Stephen Moore and legal scholar Chris DeMuth have resigned in the wake of Roberts' actions.
The leader of the Zionist Organization of America, Morton Klein, has now joined those calling for Roberts to step down.
In a statement circulated among conservative Jewish groups, Klein said Roberts' excuses — and his failure to condemn Carlson's antisemitism — were "insulting to the intelligence of the American Jewish community" and demonstrated "unfitness for leadership at a moment of dangerous rising antisemitism."
"These kinds of evasions damage trust," Klein said. "Heritage needs a leader who understands the stakes — not someone claiming he doesn't read the news."
In a statement, Andrew Olivastro, the foundation's chief advancement officer, defended Roberts as a leader under attack for "his unwavering fight to save our Republic."
Meanwhile, the Trustees of Heritage have remained notably silent, offering no statement in support of Roberts but at the same time making no move to remove him.
In addition to Roberts, the Heritage website lists 13 members of its Board of Trustees, including Barb Van Andel-Gaby, Michael W. Gleba, Larry P. Arnn, John Coleman, Robert P. George, Ryan Haggerty, Price Harding, Virginia Heckman, Shane McCullar, Rebekah A. Mercer, Abby Spencer Moffat, Nersi Nazari, and Darryle Owens.
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