Sebastian Gorka tried to pass off his firing as a resignation

The latest high-profile departure from the Trump administration is deputy assistant to the president Sebastian Gorka, who was ousted from his post Friday night.

In a resignation letter first reported at The Federalist, Gorka wrote that "given recent events, it is clear to me that forces that do not support the [Make America Great Again] promise are — for now — ascendant within the White House." Gorka specifically critiqued Trump's Monday night Afghanistan speech, asking why the remarks did not name "radical Islamic terrorism" or specify a strategic goal after 16 years of war. The administration promptly issued a response to the letter indicating Gorka "did not resign" but rather was fired.

Gorka was an ally of ousted chief strategist Stephen Bannon in the "economic nationalist" wing of the Trump White House. He recently came under criticism for saying shortly before the white nationalist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, that the media is misguided in focusing on the problem of white supremacy. "Go to the Middle East, and tell me what the real problem is today," Gorka said. "Go to Manchester."

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