Sebastian Gorka is Trump’s counter-terrorism advisor, a former Breitbart contributor and a friend of Steve Bannon. Over the past few weeks, questions have been raised about whether Gorka has the appropriate security clearance to view information the White House has been sharing with him. He co-founded a political party in Hungary with senior members of Jobbik, a far-right party that has campaigned with anti-semitic propaganda. Gorka was born in the UK to Hungarian parents, he later immigrated to the US.
Gorka’s father was a member of the Hungarian group Vitézi Rend which allied with the Nazis during the second World War. That association became public when Sebastian Gorka wore the organization’s medal at a Trump inauguration ball.
Now, it turns out, Gorka is a member of the group as well. The Forward has the scoop on this, they’ve been covering the story for months:
Sebastian Gorka, President Trump’s top counter-terrorism adviser, is a formal member of a Hungarian far-right group that is listed by the U.S. State Department as having been “under the direction of the Nazi Government of Germany” during World War II, leaders of the organization have told the Forward.
The elite order, known as the Vitézi Rend, was established as a loyalist group by Admiral Miklos Horthy, who ruled Hungary as a staunch nationalist from 1920 to October 1944. A self-confessed anti-Semite, Horthy imposed restrictive Jewish laws prior to World War II and collaborated with Hitler during the conflict. His cooperation with the Nazi regime included the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Jews into Nazi hands.
Gorka’s membership in the organization — if these Vitézi Rend leaders are correct, and if Gorka did not disclose this when he entered the United States as an immigrant — could have implications for his immigration status. The State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual specifies that members of the Vitézi Rend “are presumed to be inadmissible” to the country under the Immigration and Nationality Act. — The Forward
Gorka’s been presenting himself as Sebastian L. v. Gorka, the v is used by members of the group. Neither Gorka nor the White House would respond to multiple requests by The Forward’s reporters to clarify his association with the group.
There is no statute of limitations for lying on your naturalization application. The Forward interviewed Bruce Einhorn for the article, and he would know what the implications are:
Before serving 17 years as an immigration judge, Einhorn was deputy chief at the Justice Department’s Office of Special Investigations. The unit, which has since been disbanded, was charged with finding and deporting Nazis and members of other extremist groups who entered America illegally by lying about or hiding their background. He noted that individuals who apply for both visas and citizenship are specifically asked to name all organizations they belong to due to the government’s interest in scrutinizing those affiliated with extremist groups, and in particular those on the State Department’s list. — The Forward
The Lawyers, Guns and Money blog has an in-depth look at Gorka’s dissertation.
Thursday, Mar 16, 2017 · 10:14:39 PM +00:00 · subir
Gorka apparently issued a denial to a Tablet magazine writer:
“I have never been a member of the Vitez Rend. I have never taken an oath of loyalty to the Vitez Rend. Since childhood, I have occasionally worn my father’s medal and used the ‘v.’ initial to honor his struggle against totalitarianism.” It’s a perfectly plausible explanation, and you’d have to be of a very specific mindset to still pursue allegations of Nazi affiliation.
In his denial, Gorka’s saying he isn’t a member of the Nazi-allied organization. Let’s take him (and the Tablet author) at face value. We must be absolutely crazy to object when a White House advisor says he’s just “honoring” his father’s membership in this Nazi-allied organization by wearing his medals and changing his name to include the v.