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

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
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.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
