America’s top counterterrorism official, Joe Kent, has resigned over Trump’s war with Iran
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Joe Kent, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he “cannot in good conscience” return the Trump administration’s war on Iran.
“Iran has never been a threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war because of pressure from Israel and the powerful American delegation,” Kent said in an open letter to US President Donald Trump, written on X.
Kent, a political candidate with connections to the far-right, was confirmed last July in a 52-44 vote. He is the first senior member of the Trump administration to resign over the war with Iran.
A spokeswoman for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard did not immediately respond to questions about Kent’s resignation. The White House also did not immediately comment.
As head of the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent ran the agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that the ‘imminent threat’ that prompted the US strikes included Israel’s plan to attack Iran’s leadership. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said that Israel’s plan had nothing to do with his decision and that he believed that Iran was planning a first strike.
His resignation reflects unease among Trump’s base about the war and shows that questions about the justification for the use of force in Iran are reaching the right of the president’s base and senior members of the administration.
Trump has given shifting justifications for the strikes and has pushed back on allegations that Israel forced the US to take action.
The Speaker of the House denies the claims
But the Speaker of the House and fellow Republican Mike Johnson rejected Kent’s claim that there was no threat to the Iranian people, saying that other US officials were aware of the plan to attack US forces.
“I’m in a gang of eight,” Johnson told reporters, speaking to members of Congress who received the executive branch intelligence report.
“I got all the briefings, we all clearly understood that there is an imminent threat that Iran is very close to developing nuclear capabilities.”
Kent, Johnson said, “wasn’t in those briefs, clearly.”
The Gang of Eight includes top Democrats, including Sen. Chuck Schumer, who has also criticized the administration’s handling of the war.
Johnson suggested earlier this month that the White House believes Israel is willing to act, leaving Trump with “a very difficult decision.”
Before entering Trump’s second administration, Kent ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state.
He also served in the military, seeing 11 deployments as a Green Beret, followed by a job at the CIA.
Democrats strongly opposed Kent’s confirmation, pointing to his past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories.
In his 2022 congressional campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right militant group Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from some on the far right.
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Kent also refused to distance himself from the conspiracy theory that federal agents were behind the attack on Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol, and the false allegation that Trump, a Republican, won the 2020 election over Democrat Joe Biden.
Democrats lambasted Kent for his participation in a panel discussion on Signal that was used by Trump’s security team to discuss sensitive military programs.
Still, Republicans praised Kent’s counterterrorism credentials, pointing to his military and intelligence experience.
