Long accused of far-right ties, White House ousts Gorka
WASHINGTON – Sebastian Gorka, a staffer at the White House who occasionally advised President Donald Trump on national security matters, has been relieved of his job, the White House confirmed on Friday night.
Gorka was previously an editor at the right-wing Breitbart media site, once referred to as the “platform for the alt-right” white power movement by Steve Bannon, whom the White House fired a week ago. Gorka had no government experience before entering the Trump administration.
He said on Friday that he had resigned from his post, but a White House official rejected this characterization. “Sebastian Gorka did not resign, but I can confirm he no longer works at the White House,” the official stated.
Gorka was subject to questioning after he wore the pin of a neo-Nazi group to Trump’s inauguration ball. An investigation of his past revealed a long history with Vitézi Rend, a historic Hungarian group that sympathized with the Third Reich. Gorka has denied any allegiance to the organization.
He addressed The Jerusalem Post conference in May, and defended himself and his parents against accusations they were part of any fascist organizations.
“I have spent my life fighting against totalitarian ideologies, and so has my father,” Gorka said. “For me, jihadis are linked to fascists because they are totalitarians – and that is why I am proud to work for this administration.”
The New York Times reported that Trump’s second chief of staff, John Kelly, sought to impose new structure on the West Wing upon assuming the role, and demanded clarity on each staffer’s job description. Gorka’s role was apparently unclear.
In a letter published by the right-wing Washington Examiner that it claims to be Gorka’s resignation letter, the former adviser tells the president: “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.” The authenticity of the letter has not been independently confirmed by the Post.
Gorka’s departure was one in a series of significant news developments confirmed by the White House – including the pardoning on Friday of an Arizona sheriff found guilty of contempt of court in a racial discrimination case.