PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Former Washington state congressional candidate Joe Kent Resigned as director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
Kent posted on social media on Tuesday that he “cannot in good conscience” support the president’s war against Iran. This is shocking because Kent is one of the president’s biggest supporters.
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Kent was a decorated former Green Beret and CIA agent whose military wife, Shannon, was killed in 2019 while serving in Syria.
Kent lost twice to Mary Grusenkamp-Perez in Southwest Washington’s 3rd Congressional District in 2022 and 2024. Last summer, he was named director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
He is a close adviser to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, but he has consistently opposed involvement in Middle East wars.
“Iran poses no imminent threat to our country and it is clear that we are waging this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” he said in his resignation letter posted on X.
Kent’s full letter to the president is below.
President Trump had this reaction to Kent’s resignation:
“I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security. When I read his statement, I realized it was a good thing that he backed out because he said Iran is not a threat. Iran is a threat. Every country realizes what a threat Iran is. The question is whether they are willing to do something about it.”
Sen. Ron Wyden reacted to Kent’s resignation, posting, “Even the most incompetent person in this administration can see that Donald Trump has no plan to get us out of the war with Iran. This should terrify every American.”
Sen. Patty Murray added, “Joe Kent is a disgraceful white supremacist and is well off, but this is a public admission that there was no justification for this war.”
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “I don’t know where Joe Kent got his information, but he clearly wasn’t at these briefings.”
However, White House press secretary Carolyn Levitt said the president had “strong and compelling evidence” that Iran would attack the United States first.
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