The Fight for Control of the Heritage Foundation
The drama over the attempt to remove the president of the Heritage Foundation, Jim DeMint, is partly classic Washington power politics. But it also reflects tensions over the organization’s relationship with the Trump administration and with Trumpist ideology.
DeMint, the former South Carolina senator who has led the conservative institution since 2013, is widely expected to be ousted soon—either by resigning, or being voted out by the board, which is meeting on Tuesday. News of DeMint’s likely imminent departure was first reported by Politico last week.
The driving force behind DeMint’s ouster, according to multiple sources close to the organization, is Mike Needham, the CEO of Heritage Action for America, the organization’s political arm. Needham, these sources say, is making
