Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned Tuesday over objections to the war in Iran. He’s the first senior Trump administration official to do so.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” wrote Kent in a letter to Donald Trump.
Kent, a veteran of the Iraq war, also blamed Israel for that conflict: “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.”
Breaking News: A top U.S. counterterrorism official resigned, publicly citing his opposition to the Iran war. “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Joe Kent, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, wrote on social media. https://t.co/Et2y0h2HrQ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 17, 2026
Donald Trump responded to the news earlier today in the Oval Office saying, “I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security.”
Trump on Joe Kent: “I always thought he was weak on security. Very weak on security. It’s a good thing that he’s out.” pic.twitter.com/225kN39r2f
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 17, 2026
Mind you, a year ago when Trump nominated Kent for the position, he couldn’t say enough good things about Kent:
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt dispatched a lengthy retort which began, “There are many false claims in this letter but let me address one specifically: that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.”
There are many false claims in this letter but let me address one specifically: that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.”
This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over.
As President Trump has clearly and… https://t.co/AC8M5L8lye
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 17, 2026
It’s worth noting that Kent is a 2020 election denier and a conspiracy theorist with alarming ties to white nationalists and far-right groups.
He’s also claimed that the FBI orchestrated the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and a close friend of Tucker Carlson, the Trump ally who has stepped up as a sharp critic of the war.
BLITZER: He put out a statement disavowing any connection to extremism
MOSKOWITZ: Who did? Joe Kent?
BLITZER: Yeah. He said he met this guy on the street
MOSKOWITZ: Okay. Wolf, you and I have not ended up on a Nazi-sympathizer podcast, right? It’s not something that… pic.twitter.com/bCsyW4cnT7
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 17, 2026
Discover more from The Randy Report
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.