Trump Deputy National Security Advisor Sebastian Gorka Follows Steve Bannon Out The Door
Sebastian Gorka – Fired or Resigned?
Trump administration assistant National Security Adviser, Sebastian Gorka – has, depending on conflicting accounts, either resigned or been fired from his position at the White House. This coming on the same day that the White House announced Trump’s pardon of former Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his decision to order the Pentagon to ban transgender individuals from military service. It’s being called the mother of all Friday news dumps.
While a written statement from Gorka positions his leaving the administration as a resignation, an unnamed White House official speaking unofficially, stated that, “Sebastian Gorka did not resign, but I can confirm he no longer works at the White House.”
In the written statement, Gorka claimed, “[G]iven recent events, it is clear to me that forces that do not support the MAGA promise are — for now — ascendant within the White House.”
There had been a great deal of speculation about which of Trump’s aides would be the next out the door after Steve Bannon – and Mr. Gorka’s name was prominent in those rumors.
There will also be speculation regarding the tone of Gorka’s statements and position toward Trump’s presidency, now that he has been ousted. Some of that has been answered in part, by Gorka’s parting shot, stating in the letter – and this appears to be directed at the president himself, that:
“Regrettably, outside of yourself, the individuals who most embodied and represented the policies that will ‘Make America Great Again,’ have been internally countered, systematically removed, or undermined in recent months.”
Some observers judged that the alt-Right contingent within the administration was being targeted for a purge – particularly those who, by their positions counter to Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were increasingly isolated from the direction of policy.
Gorka’s situation as an adviser on national security and in particular, counter-terrorism, was seen by administration critics as odd, given the fact that Gorka did not receive a high level security clearance and spent most of his time in the role of media surrogate for Trump on various broadcast news outlets.
Another factor that may have been of concern to White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, was the information surfacing indicating possible involvement of Gorka with a highly controversial fraternal organization, Vitezi Rend (the Order of Vitez) – which was known to be a group founded by an associate of Hitler and that aided the Nazi regime in Hungary during WWII.
Gorka was photographed wearing a medal at Trump’s inaugural, from the group, though he denies any affiliation with Vitezi Rend, and claims he inherited the medal from his father, Paul – a member during the war.
But Vitezi Rend official, Andras Horvath told NBC news in Budapest that, “When he appeared on U.S. television … with the medal of the Vitez Order … it made me really proud.”
Some other members of the order told the Daily Forward that Gorka had taken a lifelong oath of loyalty to the group.
Gorka, for his part, told the Jewish magazine Tablet last month, “I have never been a member of the Vitez Rend. I have never taken an oath of loyalty to the Vitez Rend. Since childhood, I have occasionally worn my father’s medal and used the ‘v.’ initial to honor his struggle against totalitarianism.”
