Donald Trump’s senior counter-terrorism adviser is the center of a storm this morning. Forward.com reports he took a "lifelong loyalty oath" to an actual Nazi organization:
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.
Gorka — who Vitézi Rend leaders say took a lifelong oath of loyalty to their group — did not respond to multiple emails sent to his work and personal accounts, asking whether he is a member of the Vitézi Rend and, if so, whether he disclosed this on his immigration application and on his application to be naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2012. The White House also did not respond to a request for comment.
If these reports are true, this is absolutely outrageous and another egregious vetting fail by the Trump administration. The news of Gorka’s membership in Vitézi Rend already has the attention of Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who calls the news "beyond troubling." Sebastian Gorka joined the Trump White House after a stint at Breitbart News, where he was known for his extremist anti-Islamic views and was considered "fringe" by counter-terrorism experts.
“I’d heard the name once or twice but he’s not a major figure in the field. He’s not someone whose work one needs to know to be conversant in these issues,” Stephen Biddle, an adjunct senior fellow for defense policy at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor of political science at George Washington University, told TPM.
Biddle added that Gorka is not “in the reasonable mainstream.” Omid Safi, director of Islamic Studies at Duke University, was much more biting in his assessment, labeling Gorka’s book “propaganda.”
“He opines on everything from the Koran to Mohamad to jihad to Islamic history to contemporary politics but does so in a way that is inaccurate, sloppy, superficial, bigoted and ideological,” Safi said.
Gorka has previously been known to wear a Vitézi Rend pin on his suit lapel, during public appearances, even with Donald Trump!
Sebastian Gorka on inauguration night wearing a Vitézi Rend pin while he talks with Sean Hannity.
Congress should immediately investigate these claims and if they are true, he should be out of the White House by the end of the day.
Thursday, Mar 16, 2017 · 7:09:47 PM +00:00
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Jen Hayden
It took an extraordinary amount of time and a lot of dancing around, but Gorka has finally issued a denial:
“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.
We’ll see, won’t we?