Former Trump Official Elected To McLean Community Center Board

MCLEAN, VA — A former Trump administration official is among three newly-elected members to the McLean Community Center governing board, according to preliminary results.

Katie Gorka, who served as a Department of Homeland Security senior advisor and press secretary for Customs and Border Patrol under former President Donald Trump, received 629 votes, earning her a place on the center's board.

Gorka has lived in McLean since 2008, FFXnow reported.

"My priority is to support the McLean Community Center, which is a treasured community resource; to ensure that it provides programming of interest to all members of the community; and to ensure fiscal responsibility," Gorka told FFXnow by email. "Organizations that receive taxpayer dollars, as the Community Center does, should use resources responsibly and transparently."

Before her controversial appointment to the Department of Homeland Security, Gorka had a track record of criticizing Islam and embracing Muslim-focused conspiracy theories, according to a Washington Post report. She also wrote a column for right-wing media outlet Breitbart and was a research fellow for the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation.

Gorka's husband, Sebastian Gorka, also served as an adviser to President Trump before his abrupt departure in 2017, according to the Post.

Gorka ran for a spot on the McLean Community Center governing board last year amid controversy over a drag queen story hour. According to an Associated Press report, Gorka cited her opposition to the story hour as a top issue behind her candidacy.

Gorka was defeated in the 2022 election by a slate of progressive candidates endorsed by Democrats, the AP reported.

Kathleen Cooney-Porter and Gloria Marrero Chambers were also elected to the board, earning 1,047 and 729 votes, respectively, according to unofficial results. Cooney-Porter has worked in intellectual property law for nearly 30 years, while Chambers served as board vice president for The Langley School and past president of the Greater McLean Republican Women's Club, FFXnow reported.