Sebastian Gorka, President Trump’s counterterrorism adviser and the Hungarian far-right

In a series of articles, HFP will be looking into the meteoric rise of Sebastian Gorka, President Trump’s counterterrorism adviser. Recently questions have been raised about Mr. Gorka’s competence and his connection to anti-Semitic groups and individuals. This piece is the first installment of our series.

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Sebastian Gorka is a British-born British, Hungarian and US citizen who moved to Hungary in 1992 when he was 22 years old.  As Gorka Sebestyén, he lived in Budapest for 15 years, managing to make influential connections and playing a political role in Hungary’s tumultuous events of 2007.

Michael S. Smith II, a respected terrorism analyst who has advised members of Congress and White House officials, has raised serious questions about Sebastian Gorka’s qualifications as a counterterrorism advisor to President Trump, dubbing him on Twitter a #FakeTerrorismExpert.

Smith said “no one has anything nice to say” about Gorka who has the level of expertise “one would expect from a Congressional intern.”  “His work is of little interest because he has never — not that I can think of — contributed anything to the body of knowledge which informs understandings of threats posed by the Salafi-jihadist groups of interest to him.”

Congressman Robert Pittenger responded by releasing the following statement in Gorka’s defense.

“Dr. Sebastian Gorka is a friend and trusted adviser on efforts to combat radical Islamic terrorism and increase the safety and security of American families.  Since 2014, I have hosted seven Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forums, bringing together more than 600 Members of Parliament and other leaders from 60 nations to discuss efforts to combat terrorism financing, money laundering, and other national security issues.  Dr. Gorka has provided expert testimony at these forums, and I applaud President Trump for bringing him to the White House.

While I did meet Mr. Smith when he stopped by my office several years ago with another trusted adviser, he does not serve the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare in any capacity, nor has he contributed to any of the work we have produced.”

I am stunned to learn from this statement that “Dr. Gorka has provided expert testimony” to Congressman Pittenger’s  Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forums because in an earlier HFP article I called attention to the fact that Congressman Pittenger has invited openly pro-Iranian Mr. Márton Gyöngyösi, an MP of Hungary’s far-right Jobbik party to his Forum.  (To read HFP article click here)  His name even appears in the Forum’s report. (Pittenger report 2015-16.)

Mr. Gyöngyösi is not only openly pro-Iranian; he is also Hungary’s best known anti-Semite who has requested a “lists of Jews” in the country.  (Read more here)

Mr. Gorka and Mr. Gyöngyösi together on Congressman Pittenger’s  Intelligence-Security Forums?  Is that possible?

Mr. Sebastian Gorka is certainly familiar with Jobbik since in 2007 he founded his Hungarian political movement with Mr. Tamás Molnár, the ex-vice-chairman of Jobbik.  Mr. Molnár later warmly praised Gorka in an article published by kuruc.info, a California-registered Hungarian neo-Nazi website which was investigated by the FBI. Mr. Molnár was a regular contributor.

Mr. Gorka and Jobbik’s ex-vice-chairman Mr. Molnár announce their political movement in Budapest in 2006

Mr. Gorka’s name also appears on a Jobbik campaign event announcement in 2004 where Mr. Molnár introduced Mr. Balázs Kirkovits, Jobbik’s candidate in the city of Sopron.  Alajos Chrudinák and Sebestyén Gorka planned to speak at the event.

Logo of the movement

These are uncomfortably cozy relationships with Hungary’s worst far-right thugs!  For the record, Gorka was not a member of Jobbik and he also mercilessly criticized the current Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s dead-end policies in 2007.   At the same time, he associated with Jobbik leaders and even appeared at party events when it was well known that Jobbik maintains strong ties with Iran and Russia.  In 2008 Jobbik leader Mr. Gábor Vona even wanted to call in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to Budapest. (watch here)

Mr. Gorka has some explaining to do.  Many of us have a hard time to understand why didn’t he, a seasoned security expert and “trusted advisor,” warn Congressman Pittenger that pro-Iranian Gyöngyösi might present security risks to the US?   Why didn’t he react to the kuruc.info articles?  Why didn’t he raise his voice when Hungarian diplomats met with Jobbik members here in the US?

For those who read Hungarian I recommend my article about Jobbik’s and Fidesz’s connections with some Islamicist extremist organizations.  It appeared in 2009 in the Hungarian weekly Élet és Irodalom.  (Click here)

György Lázár

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