Fuente de la imagen, Getty Images
-
- Autor, Bernd Debusmann Jr
- Título del autor, BBC News desde la Casa Blanca
-
-
Tiempo de lectura: 6 min
The United States’ top counterterrorism official resigned Tuesday, citing disagreement with the ongoing war in Iran.
Joe Kent, who served as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, called for President Donald Trump to “reverse course” on operations in the Middle East. The resignation comes as the conflict in the region continues to draw international scrutiny.
In a letter posted Tuesday on X, Kent asserted that Iran posed no “imminent threat” to the U.S. And maintained that the Trump administration “initiated this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
Kent, 45, is an Army veteran and former CIA operative whose wife, Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent, was killed in a suicide bombing in Syria in 2019.
Administration Response
Fuente de la imagen, Getty Images
President Trump addressed Kent’s resignation, stating, “I always thought he was a good guy, but I always thought he was weak on security; very weak on security.”
He added, “I didn’t know him well, but when I read his statement, I realized it’s good he’s gone, because he said Iran wasn’t a threat.”
“Iran was a threat; everybody knew the threat that Iran was,” Trump concluded.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Kent’s suggestion that “Trump made the decision based on the influence of third parties, even foreign countries, is both insulting and ridiculous.”
“As President Trump has made clear, he had solid and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first,” she added.
Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, similarly defended the president.
“As our Commander in Chief, he is responsible for determining what constitutes an imminent threat and whether or not to grab the actions he deems necessary to protect the safety and security of our troops, the American people, and our country,” she argued.
Outside the Trump administration but within the U.S. Conservative movement, commentator Tucker Carlson praised Kent, with whom he maintains close personal ties.
“Joe is the bravest man I know, and you can’t dismiss him by calling him a crank,” Carlson said in a brief interview with the Novel York Times.
He said Kent “is leaving a job that gave him access to relevant intelligence at the highest level” and “the neocons will try to destroy him for it.”
“He knows that and did it anyway,” Carlson added.
“They Deceived Trump”
Fuente de la imagen, Getty Images
Kent is the highest-profile figure within the Trump administration to publicly criticize the joint U.S.-Israeli operation in Iran.
In the letter, Kent noted that he had previously supported Trump’s foreign policy platform and, until last year, believed he “understood that the wars in the Middle East robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.”
He alleged that “senior Israeli officials” and influential members of the American media had spread “misinformation,” leading Trump to deviate from his “America First” agenda and sow “pro-war sentiments.”
“This echo chamber was used to deceive him into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States,” the letter continues. “That was a lie.”
Kent, a longtime Trump supporter who unsuccessfully ran for Congress twice, was confirmed to his position by a narrow margin in July of last year.
Many Democrats criticized his ties to extremist groups, including members of the Proud Boys.
Democrats also argued that he was unqualified for the position due to his past statements supporting conspiracy theories (he claimed federal agents had incited the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and maintained the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump).
Kent reported directly to the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and oversaw analysis and detection of potential terrorist threats from around the world.
Previously, Kent had deployed overseas with U.S. Armed forces on 11 occasions, including service with the U.S. Army Special Forces in Iraq.
He became a CIA paramilitary operative before leaving government service after his wife’s death.
In his letter, Kent cited this tragedy and also his military service, stating that he “cannot support sending the next generation to fight and die in a war that offers no benefit to the American people or justifies the cost of American lives.”
Since Trump began his second term in January 2021, several high-ranking officials from his administration have resigned, including the Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement director, Margaret Ryan, and the Kennedy Center’s chairman, Ric Grenell.
However, personnel turnover has been much lower in this second stint in the White House.
With additional reporting by Tom Beteman.
Joe Kent may not be a household name, but his position as a top intelligence official in the Trump administration gives his assessment significant weight.
He claims the basis for the U.S. Going to war – that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States – was a fabrication.
However, he does not blame the president. Instead, he accuses “senior Israeli officials and influential members of the American media” of “deceiving” Trump into abandoning the “America First” tenet of his movement and fostering “war sentiments” without a clear objective.
Kent was a Green Beret and not a career public servant. He was a highly controversial political choice by Trump, nominated last year to be director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
Kent was confirmed by the Senate by a narrow margin last year and faced criticism from Democrats, who pointed to his embrace of conspiracy theories (he claimed federal agents incited the January 6th Capitol riot and maintained the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump).
Democrats also argued he was unqualified for the position due to his past associations with white supremacist and far-right extremist groups.
Kent’s criticism reflects the current fracture within Trump’s MAGA movement, with a significant portion strongly opposing war with Iran, arguing it has been drawn into the conflict by Israel against its own interests.
Subscribe here to our new newsletter to receive a selection of our best content each Friday.
And remember you can receive notifications in our app. Download the latest version and activate them.
