The Heritage Foundation is stirring debate over the right’s tolerance for antisemitism by defending conservative commentator Tucker Carlson’s decision to platform an avowed antisemite and Holocaust denier, Nick Fuentes, on his show.

Heritage Foundation’s president, Kevin Roberts, took to X on Thursday to dispel speculation that Mr. Carlson’s recent actions had strained his relationship with the influential conservative think tank. In a video statement, Mr. Roberts offered unequivocal support for Mr. Carlson, condemning what he termed a “venomous coalition” of critics whom he accused of attacking the political commentator and “sowing division.”

“We will always defend the slander of bad actors who serve someone else’s agenda,” Mr. Roberts declared. “That includes Tucker Carlson, who remains, and as I have said before, always will be a close friend of the Heritage Foundation.” 

Mr. Roberts also defended Mr. Carlson’s decision to host Mr. Fuentes, acknowledging that while he may “disagree with and even abhor the things that Nick Fuentes says,” he maintained that “canceling him is not the answer.” Instead, he urged the organization to concentrate on “focusing on our political adversaries on the left, not attacking our friends on the right.”

Throughout the video, Mr. Roberts emphasized his view that America should cooperate with foreign nations only when serving American interests, insisting that conservatives “feel no obligation to reflexively support any foreign government.” He added that “Christians can critique the state of Israel without being antisemitic.”

Mr. Roberts’s statement comes as drew sharp criticism from pro-Israel and Jewish conservatives who have expressed growing alarm over the party’s reluctance to condemn allies who embrace explicitly antisemitic figures or rhetoric. 

Mr. Carlson, who has previously faced accusations of endorsing antisemitic conspiracy theories, sparked widespread condemnation for platforming Mr. Fuentes, a 27-year-old white nationalist influencer and self-proclaimed admirer of Adolf Hitler. During the interview, Mr. Carlson described Christian Zionists as infected by a “brain virus” and offered no pushback when Mr. Fuentes claimed that “organized Jewry in America” represents a major obstacle to national unity.

The vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, Rabbi Yaakov Menken, whose organization partnered with Heritage to establish an antisemitism task force following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, expressed disapproval of Mr. Roberts’s position. In a post on X, he rebuked Mr. Roberts for characterizing Mr. Carlson’s “Jewish critics” as a “venomous coalition,” warning that “the consequences will be far-reaching indeed.”

Other prominent Jewish conservatives and political commentators echoed similar concerns online, with many suggesting that Mr. Roberts’s statement may represent a watershed moment for the Republican Party.

Divisions within the party have been widening for some time, however. Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly has faced criticism for refusing to condemn figures like Mr. Carlson or conspiracy theorist Candace Owens despite their overtly antisemitic remarks.

Earlier this week, Vice President Vance drew criticism for failing to correct a right-wing student activist who posed an antisemitic question during a Turning Point USA event in Mississippi.