Sebastian Gorka, a national security aide to President Donald Trump, is seeking to become the next head of the National Counterterrorism Center, a position that would give him broad powers over the country’s vast counterterrorism apparatus, according to four people familiar with the matter.
The maneuvering comes a month after Joe Kent, the center’s previous director, resigned in protest over the Iran war — publicly sharing his exit letter in which he rejected Trump’s claim that Tehran posed an “imminent threat” that merited U.S. military intervention.
Gorka, a deputy assistant to the president, has focused much of his career on a hard-line approach to Islamist extremism and immigration policy. He’s also known for voicing his adulation of Trump on conservative media and for his scathing criticism of the president’s adversaries.
It was not immediately clear whether the administration intends to nominate Gorka.
Those familiar with Gorka’s interest in the NCTC post, which requires Senate confirmation, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter.
The White House, when reached for comment, said personnel announcements will come solely from the administration or the president. Gorka did not respond to a request for comment.
Joe Weirsky, a retired Marine with Special Operations experience, is leading the NCTC in an acting basis.
As the National Security Council’s director for counterterrorism, Gorka has led administration efforts to broaden the definition of terrorist threats to include far-left groups, a move that has raised concerns among civil liberties groups. In September, Trump signed an executive order designating antifa, a loose collection of anti-fascist groups that can sometimes be violent, a “domestic terrorist organization” although no such label exists in federal law.
Kent, the NCTC’s former director, is a close friend of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who before entering government expressed skepticism about U.S. military intervention in the Middle East. He has warned that the war, which began with the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader — a figure reviled by many but also revered by millions of adherents to Shia Islam — may expose the United States to terrorist threats.
Gorka has taken the opposite stance, saying the war would significantly diminish the risk of terrorism in the United States.
“As far as I’m concerned, Operation Epic Fury is going to solve perhaps the most trenchant and strategic terrorist threat the world faces today, and God bless all of our warfighters who are engaging to make that happen,” he told the Council on Foreign Relations in March.
Gorka, a British Hungarian American radio personality, taught courses on national security at National Defense University and worked closely with conservative political operative Stephen K. Bannon at Breitbart News before both men began working for Trump during his first term.
Gorka’s demeanor has rankled some conservative political operatives who have called him abrasive.
Michael Anton, who served in both of Trump’s administrations, pulled himself out of consideration for deputy national security adviser last fall when he was informed that Gorka would hold a position on the National Security Council, The Washington Post first reported.
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