Three of the top leaders of the Heritage Foundation and several staffers are jumping ship to join Vice President Mike Pence’s conservative advocacy group amid claims the long-term Washington bastion is tolerating antisemitism.

Among those on the move is John Malcolm, who announced on Monday that he is becoming the vice president of the Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law at Mr. Pence’s Advancing American Freedom. 

“Exciting times ahead,” Mr. Malcolm said in an X post.

Two other high-level policy directors, the head of Heritage’s economic studies department, Richard Stern, and the organization’s chief statistician, Kevin Dayaratna, as well as members of their teams are also abandoning the foundation for new roles with Mr. Pence’s group.

“AAF is honored to welcome these principled conservative scholars to the team,” Mr. Pence said in a statement. “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.”

Heritage accused some of the former staffers of disloyalty. In a statement to the New York Sun, the foundation’s chief advancement officer, Andy Olivastro, said that Mr. Malcom and his deputy director at the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, Jessica Reinsch, were “terminated for conduct inconsistent with Heritage’s mission and standards.” He accused the two of breach of fiduciary duty and intellectual property removal. Ms. Reinsch was also announced as a new hire at Advancing American Freedom.

“Others who departed were closely aligned with them,” Mr. Olivastro went on to say. “Onward and upward.”

Ronald Reagan’s former attorney general after whom the Heritage’s legal studies center was named, Mr. Meese, gave his blessing to moving the entire department to Mr. Pence’s organization.

“I am confident that the lawyers and staff at the Meese Institute will continue to play a leading role in advancing the conservative legal movement in terms of their scholarship, and by working with allies to achieve our mutual objectives, educating the general public about important legal issues, helping to train the next generation of conservative lawyers, and defending the Constitution and rule of law,” he said in a statement. 

The Heritage Foundation was founded more than 50 years ago with a mission to promote conservative public policies including free enterprise, limited government, and a strong national defense.

However, Heritage has faced a growing ideological fight over its future. The organization faced controversy in October after defending conservative commentator Tucker Carlson’s decision to host Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes on his show.

Heritage Foundation’s president, Kevin Roberts, offered support for Mr. Carlson at the time in a video message, complaining that critics were “sowing division” by attacking Mr. Carlson for giving a platform to Mr. Fuentes, an avowed antisemite. The comments drew sharp criticism from pro-Israel and Jewish conservatives who had sounded alarms over a reluctance to condemn allies who embrace antisemitic rhetoric. 

Mr. Pence told The Wall Street Journal that the Heritage Foundation was “abandoning its principles.” Mr. Pence also criticized the group for embracing isolationism, supporting tariffs, and supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health Secretary.

It is unclear how many people departed Heritage over the weekend but Advancing American Freedom announced 13 new associates. The group says it plans more staffing announcements soon.

One person who left Heritage but has not been linked to Mr. Pence’s group is the senior editor of the Heritage Guide to the Constitution.

Josh Blackman published a letter on Reason website over the weekend saying Mr. Robert’s comments about Mr. Carlson made his affiliation with Heritage “untenable.” Mr. Blackman said Mr. Roberts’s comments were a “huge unforced blunder and gave aid and comfort to the rising tide of antisemitism on the right.”

Mr. Pence was effectively sidelined in the conservative movement after being abandoned by President Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 election. He founded the Advancing American Freedom group in 2021. Mr. Pence quickly folded a run for the White House in 2024 after gaining little traction.

Mr. Pence made a notable appearance this spring when he was presented with the 2025 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for “putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on January 6, 2021.”

The backlash over Heritage has created an opening for Mr. Pence to regain his footing. In an essay published in National Affairs over the summer, Mr. Pence warned that the conservative movement faces an “existential identity crisis” due to “unmoored” populism. It was co-written by one of the founders of the Heritage Foundation, Ed Feulner, shortly before Mr. Feulner’s death.