The Heritage Foundation Board of Trustees lost two more board members, bringing to three the number that have stepped down amid discord over the venerable conservative organization’s leadership in the wake of an antisemitism uproar.
Shane McCullar and Abby Spencer Moffat announced their resignations in separate statements Tuesday.
The departures came less than two months after President Kevin Roberts ignited an outcry on the right by defending Tucker Carlson’s friendly Oct. 27 interview with pro-Hitler provocateur Nick Fuentes.
Mr. McCullar, CEO of KW Metro Center, said he joined the board last year to advance “the ideals of America’s Founding,” and that he has resigned “in furtherance of those same values.
“No institution that hesitates to condemn antisemitism and hatred — or that gives a platform to those who spread them — can credibly claim to uphold the vision that once made the Heritage Foundation the world’s most respected conservative think tank,” he said.
“I cannot, in good conscience, remain on a board that is unwilling to confront the lapses in judgment that have harmed its credibility, its culture, and the conservative movement it once helped shape,” he said in a statement shared with The Washington Times.
Ms. Moffat, CEO of the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation and a board member since 2009, said her decision to leave was “not an easy one, given my family’s long and meaningful relationship with the institution, but it was a necessary one.”
“Heritage’s handling of recent challenges reveals a drift from the principles that once defined its leadership,” she said in her statement. “When an institution hesitates to confront harmful ideas and allows lapses in judgment to stand, it forfeits the moral authority on which its influence depends.”
She added that “I remain committed to the ideals of the American Founding and to institutions that champion human dignity and responsible governance. But I cannot remain on a board unwilling or unable to meet this moment with the clarity and courage it requires.”
Mr. Roberts apologized for his Oct. 30 video condemning the “venomous coalition” attacking Mr. Carlson, but continued to defend the former Fox News Channel host, who has broken ranks with the right with his blasts at Israel on his popular podcast.
Princeton professor Robert P. George resigned from the board Nov. 17, saying Mr. Roberts is a “good man,” but that his apology was insufficient.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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