National Counterterrorism Director Joe Kent announced on Tuesday that he was resigning from the Trump administration over the US-Israeli war against Iran, saying he could not “in good conscience” support the conflict.
“After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today,” Kent said in his resignation letter to President Trump, which he posted on X.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing 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,” he said.
Kent’s comments about Iran not posing an “imminent threat” are significant since he was a high-level intelligence official and had access to the information that the US government had at the time before the US and Israel launched the war. He went on to criticize the influence of Israel and its supporters over Trump’s decision and US foreign policy in general.
“Early in this administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran. This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory,” Kent said.
“This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women. We cannot make this mistake again. As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times and as a Gold Star husband who lost my beloved wife Shannon in a war manufactured by Israel, I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives,” he added.
Kent’s wife was killed in a January 2019 bombing in Manbij, Syria, where she was deployed as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the US military campaign against ISIS. President Trump suggested he was going to withdraw all US troops from Syria in December 2018, but ultimately didn’t. It was known at the time that Israel opposed the idea of the US pulling out of Syria and wanted US troops to remain to keep Iran and its allies out of the areas where US bases were located.
As the National Counterterrorism Director, Kent worked directly under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who, during her time in Congress, strongly opposed US escalations against Iran in the first Trump administration and warned against the idea of war with Iran. But hours after Kent’s resignation, Gabbard released a statement backing Trump’s decision to start the war.
“As our Commander in Chief, he is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat, and whether or not to take action he deems necessary to protect the safety and security of our troops, the American people, and our country,” Gabbard said.
“The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is responsible for helping coordinate and integrate all intelligence to provide the President and Commander in Chief with the best information available to inform his decisions. After carefully reviewing all the information before him, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion,” she added.
In the conclusion of his letter to Trump, Kent urged the president to reconsider the war. “I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for,” he said. “The time for bold action is now. You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos. You hold the cards. It was an honor to serve in your administration and to serve our great nation.”
