Although Donald Trump’s secret visit to Iraq was so sensitive that reporters were called to the White House to be told in person and instructed not to discuss it in phone calls to the few people they were allowed to notify, Trump’s Nazi-tied, non-journalist pal Sebastian Gorka indicated he had been told about the trip over the phone, one day in advance.
NPR’s Tamara Keith, who was one of the pool reporters to accompany Trump to Iraq, described some of the secrecy measures surrounding the trip:
I was called [on December 23rd] to the office of White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, who had me leave my purse and cellphone outside before sitting down. This was sensitive.
The president would be going to Iraq, leaving late Christmas night. I would be one of 13 pool journalists along for the surprise trip. For security reasons, it had to stay quiet. I could tell only my husband and one editor. And only in person, not over the phone, text or email. The secrecy around it was similar to how previous White House staffs had handled surprise trips by former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Yet last night, in a nearly 11-minute whine session about the media’s treatment of perennial-victim Trump and his trip (more on this later), Gorka all but explicitly stated that he had been told of the trip a day in advance. Furthermore, host Jason Chaffetz’ question to Gorka suggested that Chaffetz knew of Gorka’s heads up:
CHAFFETZ: Sebastian, you’re very close to the president, you served in the White House. Why do you think the president actually made this trip? It wasn’t to sign autographs on Make America Great Again hats.
GORKA: I know why he made it, Jason. I called the White House, I spoke with the White House on Christmas Eve. He did this because this was important to him and it was important for Melania. I believe this is the first time a First Lady has visited an active war zone since 1969.
Although Chaffetz made a name for himself obsessing about security procedures in Benghazi (despite voting to cut funding for same), he did not question what Gorka was told about the trip nor by whom.
Even on Fox News, Gorka is not considered a journalist. Despite his “national security strategist" title (via a contract apparently at Sean Hannity’s behest), Gorka's questionable credentials and “clownish” opinions have made him persona non grata on Fox’s “hard news” programs. Oh, and did I mention there’s an outstanding criminal arrest warrant? Or that he's a member of a Hungarian far-right, Nazi-linked organization?
So who told Gorka about Trump’s trip to Iraq over a phone? And how many others without a need to know were told?
Since it probably wasn’t a Democrat involved in any wrongdoing, you can rest assured Fox will never even try to find out.
Watch Gorka seemingly spill the beans about spilt beans below, from the December 27, 2018 Hannity.