Conservative leader Jim DeMint is officially out as the head of The Heritage Foundation.

Mr. DeMint handed in his resignation Tuesday after the board of trustees asked him to step down.

The group said in a statement that “there were significant and worsening management issues that led to a breakdown of internal communications and cooperation.”

“While the organization has seen many successes Jim DeMint and a handful of his closest advisers failed to resolve these problems.

The ousting came amid rising tensions between Mr. DeMint and CEO of Heritage Action for America Mike Needham who runs the political arm of the conservative think tank. The two battled about the direction of the organization, according to the Washingtonian’s Elaina Plott.

Some board members say that DeMint made the policy wing of the think tank too political, which deterred from its research, Politico reported.

Mr. DeMint had been in contract negotiations. His contract is set to expire at the end of 2017.

At a speech to the National Rifle Association in Atlanta Friday, President Trump publicly thanked Mr. DeMint for his help and support in drafting the president’s list of possible nominees of Supreme Court justices during the campaign.

“I want to thank really Heritage and I want to thank also everyone who worked with us,” said the president. “Also, from Heritage, Jim DeMint has been amazing. Those people have been fantastic. They’ve been real friends.”

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