Staffers in the Heritage Foundation’s economic, legal, and data centers resigned over the weekend to join a conservative advocacy group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, National Review has learned, adding to the list of employees who have departed in recent weeks over disagreements with the conservative think tank’s leadership.
The organization’s president, Kevin Roberts, sent an email to staff Sunday evening informing them of the departures. “We wish them well, though the manner of their departures speaks volumes,” he wrote. Roberts also told staff in the email that the organization’s chief economist, EJ Antoni, will now serve as acting director of the organization’s Center for Data Analysis and Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, and that policy expert Cully Stimson will now lead the organization’s Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies on an “interim basis, with assistance from Hans von Spakovsky.”
“Any personnel change is difficult, but we look forward with great anticipation to the important objectives Heritage will accomplish in 2026 and to be adding new talent to our great team,” Roberts wrote.
A Heritage spokesman did not specify how many staffers resigned. Following National Review’s report on staff resignations in Heritage’s economic and legal centers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that more than a dozen of those staffers were leaving Heritage to join Advancing American Freedom, an advocacy group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence.
“AAF is honored to welcome these principled conservative scholars to the team. They bring a wealth of experience, a love of country, and a deep commitment to the Constitution and Conservative Movement that will further the cause of liberty,” Pence said in a press release announcing the new hires.
“I am proud to announce Advancing American Freedom as the home for the new Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law. AAF has already established itself as a leader in the conservative movement,” former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese said in the release.
The weekend’s personnel developments follow three recent resignations from the organization’s board of trustees, as well an antisemitism task force’s decision last month to sever ties with the foundation over Roberts’s decision to release a video defending Tucker Carlson following the right-wing commentator’s friendly interview with avowed white nationalist Nick Fuentes. The organization’s leadership has spent recent weeks aggressively investigating leaks inside the building amid the fallout.
Pressed for comment on the new resignations, the Heritage Foundation’s chief advancement officer Andy Olivastro said the organization’s mission remains unchanged and its leadership is “strong and decisive.”
“Heritage has always welcomed debate, but alignment on mission and loyalty to the institution are non-negotiable. A handful of staff chose a different path—some through disruption, others through disloyalty,” Olivastro said, adding that two staffers, John Malcolm and Jessica Reinsch, were terminated last week for conduct inconsistent with the organization’s mission and standards. “Breach of fiduciary duty and intellectual property removal led to immediate actions,” he wrote, declining to elaborate.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Malcolm was fired because he planned to resign and would not tell Heritage where he and other staffers planned to work next.
Malcolm and Reinsch could not be immediately reached for comment.
“Others who departed were closely aligned with them,” Olivastro added. “Their departures clear the way for a stronger, more focused team. Heritage is surging ahead. Demand to join Heritage far exceeds available roles. Major gift donors have grown 35%, contributions 57%, and we are investing millions annually in partnerships and innovation to strengthen the conservative movement nationwide. America is at a turning point. Heritage is building the team that will deliver—not for yesterday’s fights, but for tomorrow’s victories. We are united, disciplined, and ready. Onward and upward.”
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with new information.