Ted Cruz's National Security Team Abounds With Think Tankers

Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has announced a national security team that is filled with conservative think tank power players.  Following are a few examples:

• Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy
• Fred Fleitz of the Center for Security Policy
• Clare Lopez of the Center for Security Policy
• Jim Hanson of the Center for Security Policy
• Elliott Abrams of Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
• Ilan Berman of American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC)
• Katharine Gorka of the Council on Global Security
• Steven Groves of The Heritage Foundation
• Mary Habeck of American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
• Michael Ledeen of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD)
• Charles Stimson of the Heritage Foundation
• Jim Talent of AEI
• Daniel Vajdich of the Atlantic Council

Here is the latest Think Tank Watch post on Donald Trump's reliance on think tanks and think tank scholars.

Heritage Foundation Event Draws Powerful Presidential Hopefuls

On September 18 the lobbying arm of the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation held its Heritage Action Presidential Forum at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, drawing the majority of the top Republican presidential contenders for 2016.

The Heritage Action for America super-PAC said it was hosting 10 of the 16 major candidates at the forum: Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina, Chris Christie, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum, and Bobby Jindal.  Donald Trump's campaign, however, canceled his appearance there due to what they say was a "business transaction."

The forum also featured South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint (who heads the Heritage Foundation), and Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham.

The big story coming out of the event was that Carly Fiorina received a positive reception.  Some reported that Ted Cruz AND Carly Fiorina "ruled" the event.

The New York Times describes Heritage Action as the "political arm of Heritage Foundation, founded in 1973 and transformed in recent years from a staid policy incubator to an organizing engine fueled by the Tea Party movement."

Here is a recent Think Tank Watch post on Carly Fiorina's favorite think tanks.