Controversial senior White House aide Gorka 'fired'
This file photo taken on February 24, 2017 shows Deputy Assistant to US President Donald Trump, Sebastian Gorka, speaking during the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. AFP PHOTO | ALEX WONG
WASHINGTON
Divisive Donald Trump aide Sebastian Gorka departed the White House Friday in a shroud of controversy, with conflicting claims about whether he resigned or got the boot.
"Sebastian Gorka did not resign, but I can confirm he no longer works at the White House," an administration official said after reports that Gorka had left voluntarily.
Gorka, 46, had become a familiar face on television, offering a bombastic defense of the US president in a strong English accent. Born in London to Hungarian parents, he became a US citizen in recent years.
A deputy assistant to the president, he had been accused of ties to far-right groups and his claimed counter-terrorism knowledge was repeatedly questioned by peers.
His failure to gain security clearance cast doubts over his day-to-day role inside Trump's White House.
He had been seen entering Oval Office events not with staff but with the press, and snapping photos from the press position behind the wings of Air Force One.
