Controversial Trump picks like Sebastian Gorka likely to bypass Senate scrutiny
CBSN
President-elect Donald Trump's pick to be the counterterrorism chief on the White House National Security Council, Sebastian Gorka, is raising concerns among security experts because of his inability to obtain a security clearance early in Trump's first term.
Gorka was forced to depart after seven months, in August 2017, as a lower-level White House staffer after officials were informed that he would not pass his background investigation, sources have confirmed to CBS News.
It is unclear whether the past concerns that led to the denial of his security clearance will impede him from obtaining this new, higher-level post. The job of deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism does not require Senate confirmation, but neither did his position in the first Trump administration.
