The Well Oiled Machine Is In An Uproar Again-- Was Gorka Fired Or Did He Quit?

Friday night conflicting reports started circulating about Trump's pet White House Nazi, Sebastian Gorka. He was fired. No, he quit. So which is it? The Hill reported that on White House official told them that "Sebastian Gorka did not resign, but I can confirm he no longer works at the White House." That sure sounds like fired-- and like national security adviser H.R. McMaster and chief of staff John Kelly got rid of an ugly remnant of Bannonism still lurking around the White House. The NY Times referred to Gorka's departure in terms of him being "forced out" by Kelly. Gorka tells a different story. A crackpot right-wing website told his version Friday night as well, right down to referring to the bombastic TV Nasi as a "national security and counterterrorism expert," which he never was.

In a blunt resignation letter, the national security and counterterrorism expert expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of the Trump administration. “[G]iven recent events, it is clear to me that forces that do not support the MAGA promise are-- for now-- ascendant within the White House,” Gorka wrote. “As a result, the best and most effective way I can support you, Mr. President, is from outside the People’s House.”

Gorka’s letter expressed unhappiness with the direction the Trump administration’s foreign policy has taken, as signaled by the president’s recent speech on Afghanistan:

“Regrettably, outside of yourself, the individuals who most embodied and represented the policies that will ‘Make America Great Again,’ have been internally countered, systematically removed, or undermined in recent months. This was made patently obvious as I read the text of your speech on Afghanistan this week…

“The fact that those who drafted and approved the speech removed any mention of Radical Islam or radical Islamic terrorism proves that a crucial element of your presidential campaign has been lost…

“Just as worrying, when discussing our future actions in the region, the speech listed operational objectives without ever defining the strategic victory conditions we are fighting for. This omission should seriously disturb any national security professional, and any American who is unsatisfied with the last 16 years of disastrous policy decisions which have led to thousands of Americans killed and trillions of taxpayer dollars spent in ways that have not brought security or victory.”

That leaves Stephen Miller.