Nick Fuentes' comments Spark Conservative Backlash

Question

Carlson had Fuentes, someone with a well-documented history of antisemitic, racist and extremist rhetoric, on his podcast. This sparked backlash, especially among conservative figures who said Carlson normalized hate-speech by hosting someone like Fuentes without sufficient push-back. Supporters of Carlson and some conservative institutions defended the interview or questioned whether censoring Fuentes was the solution. 

The fallout was messy: the Heritage Foundation (whose president publicly defended Carlson’s right to host Fuentes) faced internal revolt, calls for resignations, and serious damage to its reputation. On a broader level, this episode exposed a deep rift in the conservative movement: one side wants to push out extremism and reaffirm certain principles, the other is more comfortable with letting previously fringe figures into the fold if they align with a “populist” or “anti-establishment” standpoint.

Answer 1

This appears to be true. The NYT reports that following Kevin Roberts's unprompted defense of Tucker Carlson's interview with Nick Fuentes, at least five staffers resigned from the Heritage Foundation. Roberts is the president of the Heritage Foundation, and the staffers who resigned specifically represented the Foundation's National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. 

Carlson's interview and Roberts's response video prompted criticism both within the organization and outside it. CNN reports that senior staffers and internal communications revealed that "85% [of staff] are totally disgusted" and that the workplace was "consumed by dissent — flailing and in damage control." Outside the organization, Ted Cruz criticized Carlson in remarks to the Republican Jewish Coalition, saying Carlson was complicit by not challenging "someone who says Adolf Hitler was very, very cool and their mission is to combat and defeat 'global Jewry,'" according to the Guardian.

The situation appears to have developed further. The Hill reports that Roberts issued a course-correcting announcement in which he stated that Ryan Hill was removed from his position as chief of staff following Hill's support of Roberts's social media statements. One statement in particular said Heritage employees who were "virtue signaling" in response to Roberts's defense should "resign if so outraged," adding that it "would be addition by subtraction for the institution."