In a striking rebuke, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) criticized the Heritage Foundation for its defense of Tucker Carlson following his interview with controversial figure Nick Fuentes, who is known for his Holocaust denial and antisemitic views. The interview has sparked a significant backlash within conservative circles, highlighting a rift over the direction of conservative discourse in the United States.

"Last I checked, ‘conservatives should feel no obligation’ to carry water for antisemites and apologists for America-hating autocrats," McConnell expressed in a stern post on X. His comments underscore a growing concern among some conservative leaders about the association with figures who espouse hate-filled ideologies.

During the contentious interview, Carlson made remarks suggesting that Republican supporters of Israel were afflicted by a "brain virus," while Fuentes criticized what he referred to as "organized Jewry" as a divisive force in America. These statements have intensified the debate over the limits of acceptable discourse within the conservative community.

Kevin Roberts, President of the Heritage Foundation, responded by defending Carlson and opposing the deplatforming of Fuentes, albeit clarifying his personal disdain for Fuentes' remarks. Roberts argued that the real threat was posed by "the vile ideas of the left," a stance that has done little to quell the controversy.

McConnell, having stepped down from his role as the Republican Senate majority leader, has since focused on reinforcing his foreign policy and conservative principles among his party peers. He critiqued the Heritage Foundation’s handling of the situation, stating, "The ‘intellectual backbone of the conservative movement’ is only as strong as the values it defends."

The Heritage Foundation has yet to respond to McConnell's comments.

Adding to the chorus of disapproval was Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who also condemned Carlson during a speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual summit. Cruz, who has previously sparred with Carlson over Israel, labeled those who passively engage with antisemitic rhetoric as cowards and complicit in evil.

"If you sit there with someone who says Adolf Hitler was very, very cool, and that their mission is to combat and defeat global Jewry, and you say nothing, then you are a coward and you are complicit in that evil," Cruz declared, marking a clear denunciation of Fuentes' and by extension, Carlson's, recent public discourse.

The fallout from Carlson's interview with Fuentes continues to expose deep divisions within the conservative movement, as leaders like McConnell and Cruz seek to affirm core values against what they view as a dangerous tolerance of extremist views.