Fast Forward

Nazi-Allied Group ‘Really Proud’ Of Controversial Trump Aide Sebastian Gorka

Early Loyalty: In an undated photo, the young Gorka wears a Vitézi Rend medal pinned to the traditional-style formal coat favored by Hungary’s right-wing nationalists, as he did during Trump’s inauguration years later. Image by Facebook

By Dave Goldiner April 9, 2017

Leaders of a Hungarian far-right wing group that colloborated with the Nazis said they were “proud” to see controversial White House aide Sebastian Gorka wearing the group’s medal — and political allies and rivals alike said they believe he is a member of the group.

“When he appeared on U.S. television … with the medal … it made me really proud,” Vitezi Rend spokesman Andras Horvath told NBC News in the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

Three people, including onetime political allies and rivals alike, told the network that the anti-terrorism aide was a well known member of the group during his time in far right-wing politics in the central European nation.

“I knew that Sebastian Gorka was a member of Vitezi Rend, even then,” Gabor Solti, a Hungarian geologist who ran on Gorka’s mayoral ticket in the small town of Piliscsaba in 2006. Solti conceded he had no concrete evidence of Gorka’s membership.

The Forward exclusively reported that Gorka was a sworn member of the group, quoting three local officials. That could call into question his American citizenship since the group is considered a wartime ally of the Nazis.

Gorka vehemently denies all the charges, but has refused to denounce the Vitezi Rand.

It’s long overdue for @SebGorka to clarify ties to #ViteziRend & disavow their #antisemitism & pro-Nazi stance https://t.co/94Wg5Wj46B https://t.co/vi0Eq3tJAt

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) April 9, 2017

Dave Goldiner is the Forward’s director of digital media. Dave is a veteran journalist who has spent two decades working at newspapers in the United States and Africa. A native New Yorker, Goldiner wrote for the New York Daily News, where he covered some of the biggest stories of our time, including the attacks of September 11, along with thousands of stories of hope and heartbreak. He also studied and worked in Southern Africa and has written for publications in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He holds masters degrees in journalism and public administration from Columbia University. Dave can be reached at goldiner@forward.com, or follow him on Twitter @davegoldiner

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO