Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts admits he made 'mistake' defending Tucker Carlson

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts on Wednesday reportedly told the foundation's staff that he "made a mistake" when he made a video defending former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, but said he wants to stay in his post and fix it. 

Roberts came under scrutiny for not condemning Carlson's interview with right-wing conspiracy theorist Nick Fuentes, or separating from Carlson, though he stated that antisemitism should be condemned. He later clarified that he does condemn Fuentes' alleged views on the Holocaust, Judaism, rape, child marriage and women. 

The foundation has been split on its support for Roberts, with some staffers quitting or urging Roberts to resign, according to the Washington Times. But others told the leader that although they did not agree with his take in the viral video, he should not be forced to resign.

“I made a mistake and I let you down and I let down this institution, and I am sorry for that. Period. Full stop,” Roberts said during the internal staff meeting. “I didn’t know much about this Fuentes guy. I still don’t, which underscores the mistake. I realized in prayer and in conversations with a lot of friends and colleagues that, in fact, if I made the mess, my moral obligation is to clean it.”

Roberts took questions from staff members, including Victoria Coates, who is one of four co-chairs of Heritage's antisemitism task force. They have called on him to take the video down from social media, condemn Carlson's "antisemitic content," apologize to conservative Jews and Christians who support Israel, and put together a conference on how this issue is fracturing the conservative movement, according to the outlet. 

Roberts said he told the Heritage board of trustees that he hopes to remain in his post and fix the issue. Roberts' former chief of staff Ryan Neuhaus resigned his own post on Monday over his former boss' controversial video.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.