After less than a year as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent is quitting over his disagreement with Trump over Iran.
The truth is, Joe Kent never should’ve been confirmed as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center in the first place.
But his decision to resign in protest — first such resignation since the offensive in Iran began — creates a notable counterterrorism vacancy during a war.
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-03-17T14:15:08.703Z
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/joe-kent-resigns-iran-war-trump-counterterrorism
Joe Kent, whom Senate Republicans confirmed last summer to serve as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, has made headlines for a variety of unfortunate reasons, but on Tuesday morning, the Washington Republican made news in an entirely unexpected way: He announced that he’s resigning in protest from the Trump administration over the war in Iran.
In a brief item published to social media, Kent wrote:
After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today.
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.
Kent, who included an image of his formal resignation letter, added that he considers it an honor to have served under Donald Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. His tweet concluded, “May God bless America.”....
Kent was a contentious figure long before he joined the president’s team. Indeed,
The Associated Press published a memorable report during Kent’s 2022 Republican congressional campaign, for example, highlighting his “connections to right-wing extremists, including a campaign consultant who was a member of the Proud Boys.”
The Seattle Times later noted Kent’s “reported associations with white nationalists and other far-right groups, and embrace of conspiracy theories on an array of subjects.”.....
Democratic
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia called Kent’s record “deeply troubling” but said he agreed with his resignation.
“I strongly disagree with many of the positions he has espoused over the years, particularly those that risk politicizing our intelligence community,” Warner said in a statement on Tuesday
. “But on this point, he is right: there was no credible evidence of an imminent threat from Iran that would justify rushing the United States into another war of choice in the Middle East.”
In his resignation letter, Kent pushed a false conspiracy theory that Israeli officials and the media conspired to dupe Trump into launching a war with Iran. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., bashed Kent for resigning and appeared to suggest he’s antisemitic.
“Good riddance. Iran has murdered more than a thousand Americans,” Bacon wrote in a post on X on Tuesday. “Anti-Semitism is an evil I detest, and we surely don’t want it in our government.”
Kent’s departure leaves the United States without a director of the National Counterterrorism Center during a war, which seems less than ideal.
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