Heritage Action chief won’t say if Bannon will take over Heritage Foundation

The CEO of Heritage Action on Sunday declined to respond to a question about whether White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon would lead the Heritage Foundation. 

“There are a lot of stories out that Jim DeMint, the head of the Heritage Foundation, is going to be out and that Steve Bannon may become the new head, that this is going to be his safety net as he is forced out of the White House,” “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace asked Michael Needham. “What can you tell us?”

“That there’s a lot of speculation and rumor in the media that never misses a chance to divide and attack conservatives,” Needham said.

{mosads}Needham said DeMint is a patriot who has had a “courageous career.”

“The Heritage Foundation is an institution that is committed to formulating and promoting conservative policies,” he added, “and that is not going to change.”

Wallace further pressed Needham on whether DeMint was out at the foundation.

“There’s a lot of speculation and rumor, and I’m not going to add to the speculation and rumor,” Needham responded.

“And Steve Bannon?” Wallace asked.

“There’s a lot of speculation and rumor, and I’m not going to add to the speculation and rumor,” Needham reiterated.

A recent report said DeMint was ousted from the conservative group after feuding with the head of its lobbying arm.

DeMint differed from Needham over methods and sought to make major changes to the lobbying arm or scrap it altogether, according to a Washington Examiner report.

Reports emerged Friday that DeMint would step down as Heritage Foundation’s president, as would the senior staff he brought onboard from his Senate office.