More than a dozen staff members are abandoning the Heritage Foundation to join a think tank founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, a dramatic defection that lays bare deepening fractures inside the conservative movement over extremism, antisemitism, and its future direction.

The departing employees — including senior figures from Heritage’s legal, economic, and data teams — are moving to Advancing American Freedom (AAF), the Pence-backed policy group that announced the hires on Monday. The shift represents one of the most significant talent losses Heritage has faced in years and a rare, public rebuke of the institution’s recent trajectory.

The exodus follows months of internal turmoil at Heritage tied to the growing influence of right-wing figures associated with antisemitic and extremist rhetoric. Those tensions erupted after Heritage President Kevin Roberts released a video defending Tucker Carlson for his friendly October interview with Nick Fuentes, an avowed white nationalist who has repeatedly praised Adolf Hitler. The video triggered backlash within Heritage and across the conservative ecosystem, eventually prompting Roberts to issue a half-baked apology.

The controversy has had tangible consequences. A task force focused on combating antisemitism recently cut ties with Heritage, citing concerns over the organization’s direction and leadership.

Pence welcomed the former Heritage staffers in a statement, praising their “wealth of experience, love of country, and deep commitment to the Constitution and Conservative Movement.” AAF President Tim Chapman said the hires reflect a deliberate effort to build an alternative center of gravity on the right, grounded in traditional conservative policy rather than personality-driven politics.

After learning of the staffers’ interest in leaving Heritage, Chapman said AAF raised $13 million toward a $15 million goal in just two weeks to fund their salaries over the next three years. The influx more than doubles AAF’s size, expanding it from 18 employees to more than 30.

“There’s a battle right now to define what conservatism actually is,” Chapman said. “A movement that has oriented itself around specific political leaders is starting to realize those leaders are not going to be here forever.”

AAF is positioning itself as a policy-first alternative, emphasizing low taxes, strong national defense, and limited regulation at a moment Chapman described as an inflection point for the Republican Party and the broader right.

Heritage, meanwhile, struck back at the defectors. In a statement to NPR, Chief Advancement Officer Andy Olivastro accused some of the departing staff of “disloyalty,” adding that the departures “clear the way for a stronger, more focused team.”

The split comes as Heritage remains deeply influential in Republican governance, particularly through Project 2025 — the sweeping policy blueprint that has shaped personnel and priorities in the Trump administration.

The departures underscore a widening rift within conservatism: between institutions seeking to reassert ideological boundaries and policy discipline, and factions increasingly aligned with populist media figures and online provocateurs.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)