National security aide Gorka leaves Trump administration

WASHINGTON — Sebastian Gorka, a national security aide whose hard-line views on immigration and terrorism caused discord inside and outside the White House, is the latest official to exit President Donald Trump's administration.

Gorka told The Associated Press Friday that he had resigned from his position. A White House official, however, said Gorka did not resign but "no longer works at the White House."

A former editor for the conservative Breitbart News website, Gorka joined the administration as a counterterrorism adviser. But he operated outside of the National Security Council and his exact responsibilities were not clearly outlined, though he was a prominent advocate for Trump on television news.

Gorka declined to discuss the reasons he left the White House, but pointed toward excerpts from his resignation letter that were posted Friday evening by The Federalist website.

Gorka wrote that "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."

He criticized Trump's recent speech on Afghanistan, writing, "The fact that those who drafted and approved the speech removed any mention of Radical Islam or radical Islamic terrorism proves that a crucial element of your presidential campaign has been lost."