Katie Gorka was elected to serve as the new chair of the Fairfax County Republican Committee on Saturday. She has expressed many anti-Muslim sentiments in the past with her work for the government and Republican organizations.
She is also married to Sebastian Gorka, who served as the deputy assistant to former President Donald Trump.
“I am so honored and excited about this opportunity to serve as the new Chair of the Fairfax GOP,” Katie said. “I have been really inspired by the energy and enthusiasm I have seen over the past few months, while meeting members and volunteers throughout Fairfax County. There is a real hunger to get to work and turn our county around. I am very optimistic about what we are going to be able to do together.”
In addition to Gorka, Brian Murphy and Tony Sabio sought the position.
“Congratulations to Katie Gorka on her election as chair of the mighty Fairfax GOP,” said Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Rich Anderson. “Katie has been a tireless worker as an elections official, poll watcher, & doorknocker. Congrats, Madam Chair!”
503 delegates participated in the convention.
Katie worked on the Trump Transition Team and then went on to serve as a senior advisor in the Office of Policy at the Department of Homeland Security from 2017 to 2019.
From June to August 2019, she served as the press secretary for U.S. Customs and Border Protection
She then went to work at the Heritage Foundation as a research fellow for outreach, but she is no longer associated with them, their website says.
Katie has advocated for an “ideological war” with the “Islamists” in a book of essays she edited.
She also supported legislation to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in 2014.
Sebastian worked for Trump during his first days in office. According to conflicting accounts, he left the White House in August 2018, saying he resigned because officials were “undermining” the Make America Great Again platform.
“Sebastian Gorka did not resign, but I can confirm he no longer works at the White House,” a White House official told Politico at the time.
Trump appointed Sebastian to the National Security Education Board in 2020.