NOT SO VALIANT (profanity alert):

These ties have played a key role in normalizing anti-Semitic bigotry and advancing political alliances with those who promote or are sympathetic to anti-Semitism. This is dangerous for the Jewish community but it is also perilous for immigrant communities, communities of color, and all religious minorities whose safety is jeopardized by white nationalism.

Look no further than Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a close ally of the president and the first senator to endorse him. Sessions has longstanding and deep connections to groups like the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which tout anti-Semitic figures and leaders. FAIR was founded by John Tanton, who still sits on the group's national advisory board. Tanton practically worshipped the architect of the Immigration Act of 1924, John B. Trevor Sr., a rabid anti-Semite whose pro-Nazi group was later indicted for sedition. He also recommended the work of a radical anti-Semite - Kevin MacDonald - to a major donor and suggested that FAIR's board discuss MacDonald's anti-Semitic theories regarding Jews and immigration.

Sessions has also worked closely with two other anti-immigrant groups affiliated with Tanton, NumbersUSA and the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). The president of NumbersUSA has appeared on the radio show of notorious anti-Semite Jeff Rense, who hosts neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers and promotes conspiracy theories about "Jewish control of the world." Meanwhile CIS staff have circulated articles by anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers and appeared on anti-Semitic programs and in anti-Semitic publications. One former CIS Analyst, Jon Feere, provided quotes to an anti-Semitic publication, the American Free Press, in 2012. Notably, Feere was hired by the Trump administration as an advisor to the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Like Sessions, Mike Flynn, who briefly served as Trump's National Security Advisor, helped mainstream extremists during his time as a campaign advisor, transition team member and administration official. Flynn's frequent Twitter interactions with white nationalists and anti-Semites have been thoroughly covered, including the infamous "not anymore, Jews" retweet. He also called former Breitbart News technology editor Milo Yiannopoulos "one of the most brave people I know." Yiannopoulos, who has credited Steve Bannon for making him a star, has an anti-Semitic repertoire that includes encouraging people to post swastikas, referring to a reporter as a "Thick-As-Pig S[***] Media Jew" and saying that "Jews run everything."

Flynn is no longer part of Trump's National Security Council, but another figure with disturbing links to anti-Semitism remains in a national security role: Sebastian Gorka, a Deputy Assistant to the President on national security matters. Gorka recently jumped to the defense of the president over the Holocaust Remembrance Day controversy, dismissing the criticism of Jewish groups as "asinine."

To say the least, Gorka may not be the most credible messenger on the issue. During his time in his parents' native Hungary, he was intensely involved with Hungary's far right, which is rife with anti-Semitism. Beginning in 2006, he wrote a series of articles for Magyar Demokrata, a newspaper known for publishing anti-Semitic writers. In 2007, he founded the short-lived UDK Party with two former members of the far-right Jobbik Party, which has been widely condemned for its virulent anti-Semitism. As a leader of the UDK, Gorka appeared on Hungarian television to voice support for the Hungarian Guard, a far-right, anti-Semitic paramilitary group. He also defended right-wing protesters' use of the Arpad flag, which harks back to the World War II-era pro-Nazi movement in the country. The president of the Federation of the Jewish Communities of Hungary described the flag as "a symbol of murder and mass murder."

Gorka's fondness for symbols of Hungary's far right has been noted in the media - most recently his decision to wear the medal of the Order of Vitéz to an Inaugural Ball. His father received the medal from the reconstituted order in exile during the communist era, but it has deeply anti-Semitic connotations. The order was founded in 1920 by the anti-Semitic Horthy regime, which played a key role in the Holocaust in Hungary. During World War II, Jewish real estate was confiscated by the state for distribution to members of the order. Notably, Gorka signed his doctoral dissertation - in which he discusses the role of "the international Jewish elite" in founding Israel - as "Sebestyén L. v. Gorka," with the "v." referencing the order. When testifying in front of the House Armed Services Committee in June 2011, his official testimony listed his name as "Dr. Sebastian L. v. Gorka," thus referencing the order under congressional oath. Contemporary leaders of the order say that Gorka is a formal member and has pledged lifelong loyalty to the group.

Back in the U.S., Gorka became entwined with the far right as national security editor for Breitbart News, which Bannon once described as "the platform for the alt-right" - a movement that has been described by former Breitbart staffer Ben Shapiro as "a movement shot through with racism and anti-Semitism." Like Flynn, Gorka has defended his former colleague Yiannopoulos and promoted his work, including an article that credits the writings of pro-Nazi thinker Julius Evola for helping originate the alt-right. For his part, former Breitbart chief Bannon has cited Evola and has also expressed admiration for Charles Maurras, a notorious French anti-Semitic philosopher who collaborated with the Nazis.

Tweet   @brothersjudd