(José Niño, Headline USA) The Heritage Foundation, one of Washington’s most influential conservative think tanks, is in turmoil after its own task force on antisemitism issued a series of demands to President Kevin Roberts in response to his defense of Tucker Carlson’s interview with nationalist commentator Nick Fuentes.
The controversy began last month when Carlson hosted Fuentes, a 27-year-old figure known for questioning Israel-United States relations and advocating for immigration restrictions, in a conversation that touched on topics ranging from Joseph Stalin to what Fuentes described as “organized Jewry in America.” Carlson himself called Christian Zionism a “brain virus” and a “Christian heresy.”
Roberts released a video days later defending Carlson, describing him as “a close friend of the Heritage Foundation” and denouncing what he called the “venomous coalition” attacking him, according to a report by The Guardian.
He initially said that while he “abhors” Fuentes’s views, “canceling him is not the answer.” That defense drew swift criticism, particularly from Heritage’s own National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, which accused Roberts of undermining the institution’s credibility.
On November 3, the task force’s co-chairs—Mario Bramnick, Victoria Coates, Ellie Cohanim, and Luke Moon—sent Roberts a letter outlining five demands and a “bonus” proposal.
The group called on Roberts to remove the video defending Carlson, issue a formal apology to Christians and Jews who support Israel, and explicitly condemn antisemitism and Carlson’s “antisemitic content.” It also urged Heritage to host a conference on the “Groyper” movement to define the boundaries of acceptable conservative discourse and to hire a “Gen Z Whisperer” to engage young conservatives on Israel and Jewish issues.
Nick Fuentes reads off a letter with 5 demands from J*ws to the Heritage Foundation for defending Tucker Carlson's Nick Fuentes interview.
1- Remove the Video
2- Apologize
3- Condemn Anti Semitism
4- A Conference about Groypers
5- Hire a Gen Z Whisperer
Bonus – Shabbat Dinner pic.twitter.com/Mu7Pt7KhMG— KaizerRev (@Kaizerrev) November 5, 2025
As a gesture of goodwill, the task force proposed hosting Shabbat dinners with Heritage interns and junior staff “to promote conversation on the Judeo-Christian tradition with junior staff members and interns,” per a report by The Washington Times.
In its letter, the task force warned that “if an agreement is not reached soon, the relationship between Heritage and the task force ‘will be irrevocably harmed,’” according to a report by Jewish Insider.
Fuentes read the letter aloud on his livestream, mocking what he called “Jewish influence” on conservative institutions. “They want Heritage to delete the video, apologize, condemn Tucker, host a conference on why Groypers suck, hire a Generation Z ambassador to make Zoomers love Israel, and host a Shabbat dinner to vet all the young staff members,” Fuentes said. “If they don’t agree, Heritage will lose all its donors, its board members will resign, and Kevin Roberts will be fired.”
The fallout has been severe. The Times of Israel reported that at least eight individuals and organizations have resigned or suspended their participation in the task force, including the Coalition for Jewish Values, the Zionist Organization of America, and the Combat Antisemitism Movement.
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that during a tense staff meeting on November 5, Roberts apologized, saying, “I made a mistake and I let you down and I let down this institution. Period. Full stop.” Several senior staff members reportedly questioned his leadership and called for his resignation.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
