Dr. Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president, formerly National Security editor for Breitbart News, spoke with Breitbart News Daily on Monday about the upcoming Supreme Court battle over President Trump’s proposal for a temporary travel ban.
“U.S. Code, U.S. law, is absolutely explicit. 8 U.S. Code 1182 says it is the president’s decision if there is a national security need, to limit, to vet, to even stop the immigration of individuals from certain countries,” Gorka pointed out.
“We inherited – this is the irony – from the Obama administration a list of nations that were of greatest concern, where there is the caliphate, where there is terrorism. We used that analysis to issue two executive orders, and they have been attacked for overt political reasons,” he said.
“There was an attempt made to make these seem as if there was some underhand ulterior motive to do with Islam itself, or to do with a certain racial group, when, of course, that cannot be true – because if there were any dread motives, then the fact that the largest Muslim nation, Indonesia, the largest Arab nation, Egypt, are on neither of the executive orders proves the point that this is purely about national security,” he contended.
Gorka reported that the latest update on the case is that the Department of Justice has requested to the Supreme Court that they “hear this case, this attempt to block our executive order, as soon as possible.”
“Hopefully, that will be the case, Raheem,” he told SiriusXM host Raheem Kassam.
Kassam mentioned the novel legal theory deployed against the executive order that Trump’s rhetoric on the campaign trail a year ago invalidates his exercise of presidential authority by revealing dark motives at odds with the White House justification for the travel ban.
“It’s a pattern that we’ve been witnessing now for twenty weeks. It’s very strange,” Gorka said of this reasoning.
“I was on CNN for my sins last week and I had to discuss for 16 minutes with the host one tweet by the president, as if a tweet is a policy statement or an executive order,” he recalled. “I think it’s just clutching at straws. I think it’s desperation. The campaign trail is not U.S. policy, so I think it’s desperation on their behalf, and that’s why I think we will succeed.”
Kassam asked if there was any truth to rumors that President Trump would cancel or delay his upcoming state visit to the United Kingdom following a disastrous election for Prime Minister Theresa May.
“I really have to use this opportunity, Raheem, to bolster the ‘Breitbart is the factual purveyor’ reality,” Gorka replied. “Let’s go to the horse’s mouth: the prime minister’s office gave a public statement. The queen, Queen Elizabeth, has issued an invitation to the President of the United States. Nothing has changed since that invitation was sent to the White House. Those are the facts of the matter.”
Kassam described it as the latest false leak-based story to generate headlines for a few days, only to be quietly corrected later when the leakers turn out to be wrong.
“How is it that they get away with this stuff when if we made one tiny little spelling error or typographical error on Breitbart News, I don’t hear the bleeding end of it?” he asked.
“I don’t even think the moniker ‘fake news’ is sufficient at the moment. I think we really have to talk about propaganda,” Gorka observed in response. “But your point is well taken. The lack of consequences for the left in their media has led to the reality where most voters simply don’t care. Look at viewing figures for CNN. Look at how the finances of newspapers like the Washington Post – they have to be saved by billionaires because they’re simply not viable in the private market.”
“Yes, there are double standards, but eventually, at the end of the day, who’s listening to them? Just that echo chamber that Ben Rhodes was so proud of creating,” he said, referring to President Barack Obama’s deputy national security adviser, who has boasted of his ability to manipulate the media.
Gorka said the White House planned to spend the coming days talking about economic growth and some big foreign policy stories, such as the diplomatic crisis surrounding Qatar.
“Just look at the stock market, look at the U.S. economy. Finally, people are being unfettered, small businesses are being allowed to function in ways that actually make them money and not the government,” he said.
“On the national security front, the Qatar situation is fascinating,” he observed. “The president goes to the heart of the Muslim world. He asks for action. Action is taken, and now we have to see the sponsorship of terrorism end. That’s a big one for me, Raheem.”
Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
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