Sebastian Gorka Chickens Out On ‘Man-To-Man’ Meeting With Twitter Critic

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By Dave Goldiner February 26, 2017

Sebastian Gorka, the controversial far right wing White House aide with ties to Hungarian anti-Semitic groups, has bailed on a “man-to-man” meeting with a critic whom he called to threaten after the analyst mocked his credentials using the hashtag #faketerrorismexpert.

Gorka, an aide to President Trump, called Michael E. Smith II last week to berate the noted Republican terrorism expert about his series of Tweets noting Gorka’s near-total lack of qualifications for a high-level national security role.

Little did Gorka know that Smith was recording the bullying call, in which Gorka threatened to sic “White House counsel” on Smith for his criticism on social media.

Gorka, a trusted lieutenant of Trump supremo Steve Bannon who espouses , also challenged Smith to meet him face-to-face in Washington D.C., an invitation that Smith quickly accepted.

But apparently Gorka thought better of the prospect of actually having a meeting of the minds with someone who disagrees with him. He later told Smith the meeting was off.

The Forward revealed that Gorka, who has worn a medal issued by Hungary’s World War II Nazi collaborator regime, spent years working with far right wing figures in Hungary, including many with noxious anti-Semitic stands.

Dave Goldiner is the Forward’s director of digital media. Dave is a veteran journalist who has spent two decades working at newspapers in the United States and Africa. A native New Yorker, Goldiner wrote for the New York Daily News, where he covered some of the biggest stories of our time, including the attacks of September 11, along with thousands of stories of hope and heartbreak. He also studied and worked in Southern Africa and has written for publications in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He holds masters degrees in journalism and public administration from Columbia University. Dave can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @davegoldiner

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