E.W. Jackson got crushed in the Republican primary, but Sebastian Gorka got paid. The Christian activist running for a chance to challenge Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., cut a check to the former presidential adviser to headline a May fundraiser.
Gorka was paid $2,500 by the Jackson campaign, according to FEC fillings, to be a “speaker at campaign fundraiser.” The payment was made on May 11, and on May 20, Jackson supporters who ponied up anywhere between $50 and $2,700 for a plate at the campaign dinner were regaled with Gorka stories about his time in the White House.
“Join us on May 20th as Bishop Jackson inspires, motivates and captures the hearts of Virginians as we Start a Movement and begin to Believe Again!,” the campaign wrote on social media. “Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Fox News National Security Analysts and Former Deputy Assistant to President Trump will be attending this event in support of E.W. Jackson.”
While Jackson fell short, Gorka doesn’t show signs of stopping anytime soon. He appears to be selling his political endorsement to pro-Trump congressional candidates.
Here is how it works: Gorka endorses a candidate. The candidate pays a “speaking fee.” He shows up for one night. It’s not bad work if you can get it, and Gorka has been getting a lot of it. He was paid $5,240 by Arizona Senate candidate Kelli Ward in March. Before that, in February, he was paid another $5,000 by Nevada Republican Danny Tarkanian.
Endorsements aren’t the only service on the menu. Candidates can hire Gorka as a foreign policy adviser if they’re willing to pay. For instance, Gorka has been in talks with New Jersey congressional candidate John McCann to join the campaign in an advisory capacity. Two aides told the Washington Examiner that negotiations were ongoing and that a contract in excess of $10,000 was on the table.
Neither Gorka or the Jackson campaign returned request for comment for this story. But the former White House aide has repeatedly denied selling his endorsement.
Asked in February whether he sold his endorsement to Tarkanian, Gorka guffawed that that “would be illegal” and that instead he “was given an honorarium.”
