On Tuesday, the Heritage Foundation’s board of Trustees unanimously “asked for and received the resignation of Jim DeMint as president and CEO of the organization,” according to a statement from board Chairman Thomas Saunders. The statement blames DeMint for unspecified “significant and worsening management issues that led to a breakdown of internal communications and cooperation.” According to multiple reports, Michael Needham of Heritage Action clashed with the former South Carolina senator and pushed for his ouster.
This evening, DeMint defended his tenure with the following statement:
When I came to Heritage in 2013, I told our staff and millions of members around the country that over the next four years, we had the opportunity to lead a resurgence of conservative policies and communications to win the hearts and minds of the American people. I’m grateful to have worked with some of the greatest minds and talents in America and believe we’ve accomplished together what we set out to do,” said Senator DeMint. “Reagan once said there’s no limit to what you can achieve if you don’t care who gets the credit, and nothing better exemplifies that selfless dedication than the men and women I’ve been honored to work with at Heritage. I will continue to be part of that great fight for freedom for years to come and I’m excited about the next chapter in my work for the conservative movement.”
The public statement released earlier is puzzling given that the board of trustees has praised our work for four years and approved performance bonuses for the entire management team each year for a job well done. It also stands in stark contrast to the independent review by the University of Pennsylvania which publicly recognized advances in Heritage’s scholarship, management and integrity over the last 4 years, and improved Heritage’s rankings in virtually every category. In fact, Heritage was recognized as the 13th Best Managed Think Tank in the world in 2016.
I’m also proud to have been part of leading Heritage’s most successful impact on a presidential transition team since the days of Ronald Reagan, culminating in the confirmation of Judge Gorsuch and one of the best presidential cabinets in recent history.
Over the last 4 years, Heritage has had numerous accomplishments including:
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Playing a key role in the presidential transition of President Trump, with dozens of Heritage staff helping offer conservative policy recommendations for the new administration.
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Partnering with the Federalist Society to create a list of possible Supreme Court judicial nominations that led to the confirmation of Justice Neil Gorsuch.
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Completing the Mandate for Leadership Series, which included the Blueprint for Balance, to guide Congress and the new administration on key agency and budget reforms.
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Establishing 4 new research institutes: the Institute for Constitutional Government, the Institute for Economic Freedom and Opportunity, the Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, and the Institute for Family, Community, & Opportunity.
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Creating two new leading research publications: the Index of Military Readiness and the Index of Culture & Opportunity.
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Launching The Daily Signal, an award-winning conservative news and commentary site that has over 30 million visitors a year.
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Creating the American Perceptions Initiative, which conducts market research on how best to discuss conservative policy ideas with the American people.
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Building of the Heritage Freedom Center that includes new intern housing for the next generation of conservative leaders.
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Creating the Feulner-Weyrich Fellowship program for Capitol Hill staff that trains dozens of key people on how best to advance conservative policies.
Additionally, according to the University of Pennsylvania’s Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program Index, Heritage improved in the rankings of think tanks worldwide and nationally for scholarship and integrity.
A few highlights:
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Top Think Tanks World Wide: #18 in 2012 to #12 in 2016
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Top Think Tanks in United States: #9 in 2012 to #7 in 2016
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Top Domestic Economic Policy Think Tanks: #8 in 2012 to #6 in 2016
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Top Transparency and Good Governance Think Tanks: Not Ranked in 2012 to #12 in 2016
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Top Health Policy Think Tanks: Not Ranked in 2012 to #10 in 2016
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Think Tanks with the Most Innovative Policy Ideas/Proposals: #18 in 2012 to #10 in 2016
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Think Tanks with the Most Impact on Public Policy: #10 in 2012 to #8 in 2016
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Best Managed Think Tanks: Category not listed in 2012, #12 in 2013, #26 in 2014, #25 in 2015, and #13 in 201
All in all, this is a record of which I am very proud, on behalf of myself, my management team and the many dedicated Heritage staff and members nationwide.
