Topline

President-elect Donald Trump has named Sebastian Gorka as senior director for counterterrorism, after he briefly served in Trump’s first administration, though Gorka has also faced criticism for appearing to support a far-right Hungarian political group the U.S. says is linked to the Nazis.

Key Facts

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What Are Gorka’s Ties To Vitezi Rend?

While attending Trump’s Inaugural Ball on Jan. 20, 2017, Gorka was pictured wearing a medal associated with Vitezi Rend, a Hungarian national group the State Department designated as having worked under the direction of Germany’s Nazi government. The group was founded as the Vitez Order in 1920 as a Hungarian nationalist group that contested the country’s communist rule, and is now recognized as a far-right group with antisemitic views. Vitezi Rend spokesperson Andras Horvaz told NBC News the group was “really proud” Gorka wore the medal, while some members told the outlet Gorka was a well-known associate of the group. One of the organization’s leaders told CNN that Gorka was not a pledged member, however, and denied claims the group was linked with the Nazis. Gorka has denied wearing the medal as a nod to Vitezi Rend and said he instead wore it to honor his father, who Gorka said was honored for fighting the communist regime in Hungary. Gorka told the Telegraph that he had “inherited the title of Vitez through the merits of my father,” though he never “swore allegiance formally” to the group. The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, a civil rights group, called for Gorka to resign “or be fired” over his association with the group. Meanwhile, a group of Democratic senators requested the Justice Department and Homeland Security to investigate whether Gorka misled immigration officials about his ties to Vitezi Rend before becoming a U.S. citizen.

Was Gorka Fired During Trump’s First Administration?

Gorka was forced out of his role as an advisor during Trump’s first presidency after John Kelly, Trump’s chief of staff, became disinterested in keeping him, administration officials told the New York Times. Gorka’s appearances on various talk shows gained favor with Trump, though Kelly opposed his often combative interviews, a person familiar with the situation told CNN. One White House official told CNN that Gorka had resigned, while another disputed this claim and said Gorka was “no longer with the White House.” In a resignation letter obtained by Politico, Gorka said “forces” in opposition to Trump’s policies had forced him out.

Tangent

In August 2017, several Democratic legislators demanded the White House remove Gorka, Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller from their roles as advisors to Trump. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus accused the three advisors of having supported the views of white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups in the lead-up to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which a man killed a woman after driving his car into a crowd of counterprotesters. Before the rally, Gorka, who had previously worked under Bannon as an editor at the right-wing outlet Breitbart, suggested white supremacists were not a concern for U.S. counterterrorism efforts, the Times reported. The caucus also cited Gorka’s “extensive ties” to Vitezi Rend.

Chief Critic

John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, called Gorka a “con man” after Trump tapped him Friday to return to the White House: “I wouldn’t have him in any U.S. government.” Gorka’s new role isn’t “going to bode well for counterterrorism efforts,” Bolton told CNN.

Key Background

On Friday, Trump announced Gorka would be returning to the White House after serving as a “tireless advocate” for his policies. Gorka earned a doctorate in political science from Corvinus University of Budapest and worked as a national security expert with a focus on Islamist extremism, the Times reported. He has reportedly made claims that violence is a “fundamental” part of the Islamic faith and wrote a book, “Defeating Jihad: The Winnable War,” that argued the U.S. should refer to Islamic terrorism as a “global jihad” instead of “violent extremism.” Several experts have criticized Gorka’s credentials, including Daniel Nexon, a professor of international relations at Georgetown University, who told CNN that Gorka’s claims do not “deploy evidence” and described Gorka’s dissertation on terrorism as “inept.”

Further Reading