No, A Former Republican Congressman Now Backing Harris Did Not Author Project 2025

The right-wing Heritage Foundation and former Oklahoma congressman Mickey Edwards agree on one thing: Edwards had nothing to do with Project 2025, Heritage’s transition plan for a Donald Trump win in November that Democrats have turned into a political millstone.

“I have no relationship whatsoever with the Heritage Foundation and have not had for a very long time,” Edwards told HuffPost on Monday.

“All I know about Project 2025 is what I read in the newspapers.”

In response to a HuffPost inquiry, a Heritage Foundation spokesperson also dismissed Edwards having any connection to the think tank, saying, “Former congressman Mickey Edwards is not affiliated with the Heritage Foundation and had no involvement whatsoever with Project 2025.”

Edwards, a conservative who was a Republican when he represented Oklahoma from 1977 to 1993 but has since turned independent, is at the center of a very out-there social media conspiracy theory: that he drew up Project 2025, an initiative of the Heritage Foundation, as a way to sabotage Trump’s candidacy.

The Project 2025-was-a-liberal-op trope has been bouncing around online since Edwards’ endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this month became more widely known back in his home state.

It’s been spread by social media posts saying that Edwards’ authorship would mean Democrats’ criticism of Project 2025 was invalid .

“Mickey Edwards, whose real name is Marvin H. Edwards, was a founding trustee of the Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation AUTHORED project 2025. Mickey Edwards just endorsed Kamala Harris. I’ll let that sink in,” one post said.

While individual parts of the conspiracy theory are somewhat true (Edwards was and has in the past been publicly labeled as