Sebastian Gorka Is Ousted From White House — Fires Angry Salvo At Enemies

By Dave Goldiner August 26, 2017

Sebastian Gorka, the controversial counter-terrorism aide to President Trump, was ousted from his White House post Friday, a spokesman said.

“(He) did not resign, but I can confirm he no longer works at the White House,” the White House said in a statement.

Earlier reports said Gorka quit, and the Federalist, a right-wing news site, quoted a letter suggesting Gorka resigned in disgust at the current state of the Trump administration.

“Forces that do not support the (Make America Great Again) promise are – for now – ascendant within the White House,” Gorka was quoted as saying in the letter, referring to Trump’s campaign slogan.

Gorka is a far right-wing figure and fierce critic of Islam whose main ally in the White House was Steve Bannon. When Bannon quit last week, Gorka was left isolated.

He cited Trump’s speech on Afghanistan as evidence that the White House had softened its tone on radical Islamic terrorism.

“A crucial element of your presidential campaign has been lost,” he wrote.

The Forward exclusively reported that Gorka was a sworn member of a far right-wing Hungarian group that was allied to the Nazis in World War II. He wore a medal from the group and used symbols associated with it. He denied being a formal member of the group although he has said it was a legitimate nationalist organization.—With Reuters

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

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO