Top U.S. counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigns over Trump's war on Iran
Listen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Joe Kent, the director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he "cannot in good conscience" back the Trump administration's war in Iran."Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby," Kent said in an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, posted on X.Kent, a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote. He is the first and most senior member of Trump's administration to resign over the war against Iran.A spokesperson for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard did not immediately respond to questions about Kent's resignation. The White House also had no immediate comment.As head of the National Counterterrorism Centre, Kent was in charge of an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats.His resignation reflects unease within Trump's base about the war and shows that questions about the justification for the use of force in Iran extend to the right of the president's base and to senior members of the administration.WATCH | Trump denies Israel pressured U.S.:U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday the 'imminent threat' that triggered the U.S. strikes involved Israel's plan to hit the Iranian leadership. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said Israel's plan had nothing to do with his decision and that he believed Iran was planning to strike first.Trump has offered shifting reasons for the strikes and has pushed back on claims that Israel forced the U.S. to act. Earlier this month, House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested that the White House believed Israel was determined to act on its own, 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 work at the CIA.Democrats strongly opposed Kent's confirmation, pointing to his past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories. During his 2022 congressional campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of other far-right figures.During his Senate confirmation hearing, Kent also refused to distance himself from a conspiracy theory that federal agents instigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, as well as false claims that Trump, a Republican, won the 2020 election over Democrat Joe Biden.Democrats grilled Kent on his participation in a group chat on Signal that was used by Trump's national security team to discuss sensitive military plans.Still, Republicans praised Kent's counterterrorism qualifications, pointing to his military and intelligence experience.
