Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts must "step aside" for the organization's future, as it's "bleeding" people with him at the helm, including with the weekend resignation of professor Josh Blackman, Bryan Leib, a leader in the Jewish community, said Monday on Newsmax.
"Professor Blackman is exactly correct," Leib, a Jewish community leader who also heads Henry Public Relations, said on "National Report," citing what he described as Roberts' mishandling of the hot-button issue involving podcaster Tucker Carlson and his interview of Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.
Blackman resigned late Sunday, issuing a statement in which he said the Heritage Foundation "came to a crashing halt" after Roberts' initial reaction to Carlson's interview.
"Your initial remarks were indefensible," said Blackman. "Your apology was underwhelming, and the lack of any meaningful follow-up over the past three months has been telling."
He also told Roberts that "for reasons only you know, you aligned the Heritage Foundation with the rising tide of antisemitism on the right."
"The Heritage brand, once iconic, instantly became toxic," Blackman said.
Leib said the issue extends beyond reputational damage to whether the organization can withstand further losses.
"The question that we all should be asking ourselves is not whether or not Heritage Foundation is hurting," he said.
"The question is, how much more blood vis-a-vis donors, board members, staffers, fellows, respect are they willing to lose before they officially change course?"
Leib is not alone among Jewish leaders calling for donors to stop supporting Heritage.
Zionist Organization of America President Mort Klein has called for Roberts to step down and urged donors to boycott the organization.
Leib added that Heritage's posture amounts to choosing one personality over the broader movement.
"Right now they have been choosing loyalty to one man, Tucker Carlson, over the future of the conservative movement," Leib said. "Honestly, they are bleeding out on the operating room table right now in front of the entire conservative movement."
Leib also pushed back on Heritage's internal messaging about stability and growth after the foundation released a statement from Chief Investment Officer Andy Olivastro about the organization's mission and finances indicating major gift donors have grown 35% and contributions 57%.
"Yeah, I hate to say this, but I think they're lying to us," Leib responded.
He compared the statement to Roberts' prior comments about Fuentes.
"Kevin Roberts lied to all of us when he said that he didn't really know who Nick Fuentes was," Leib said.
"The leader of one of the most influential think tanks in the world actually uttered those words that he doesn't watch the news and doesn't keep his finger on the pulse," he said. "That was a lie."
Leib also questioned whether Heritage's cited growth reflects current conditions, adding:
"The same way the Heritage Foundation is now lying, as they're saying, that their contributions are surging. Maybe that was from last year's annual report," he said.
Leib further pointed to spending that he said undermines the organization's public posture.
"What about the millions of dollars they invest into Tucker Carlson's podcast?" Leib asked. "Why did they spend over $1.3 million from 2024 to 2025, being a sponsor of the Tucker Carlson podcast, so they can paint whatever picture they want?"
The Heritage Foundation, he added, has already lost key figures and credibility.
"They've lost three of their most influential board members," Leib said. "They're losing millions of dollars in donations. ... They just continue to bleed people, and it's because people don't have any faith in the future of the Heritage Foundation."
Leib framed his demand as accountability rather than ideological policing.
"So I say again, Kevin Roberts, you have to step aside," he said. "You have to put your ego aside. You made the wrong decisions, and now it's time to pay the consequences. That's not cancel culture; that's accountability."
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