Donald Trump’s most senior counterterrorism official has resigned, saying he “cannot in good conscience” support the Iran war and claiming the country posed “no imminent threat” to the United States.
Joe Kent was director of the National Counterterrorism Center, leading the agency as it detected and analysed terrorist threats to the US.
Announcing his resignation in a post on social media, he wrote: “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.”
Iran war latest: Senior US official quits and blames Israel
Who is Joe Kent and why did he resign?
Mr Kent, who was appointed by Mr Trump and confirmed by the Senate in his post last July by 52 votes to 44, unsuccessfully ran for Congress twice and has been criticised for his connections to right-wing extremists.
The 45-year-old is the highest-ranking administration official to publicly voice his opposition to Mr Trump’s war with Iran, highlighting concerns among some of Mr Trump’s supporters about his justifications for the conflict.
Mr Kent said he was resigning over concerns about the reasons, or lack of reasons, given for the strikes on Iran.
Some experts have claimed an imminent threat would have been required for Mr Trump to launch his war without congressional approval and under the international law of war.
Mr Trump has given several reasons for the war, including stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons, destroying its ballistic missile capabilities, and regime change. He has disputed claims Israeli action forced the US to strike.
Responding to Mr Kent’s resignation during an Oval Office news conference on Tuesday, Mr Trump said he always thought he was “weak on security”. He added that if someone in his administration did not believe Iran was a threat, “we don’t want those people”.
A career in the special forces and two unsuccessful political bids
Mr Kent previously served in the military for 20 years, undertaking 11 deployments as a Green Beret – an elite counterterrorism force known for conducting unconventional warfare – before joining the CIA as a paramilitary officer. He later served as counterterrorism adviser to Mr Trump’s 2020 presidential re-election campaign.
Before he entered Mr Trump’s administration, Mr Kent attempted two unsuccessful bids for Congress in Washington state.
He was previously a strong supporter of Mr Trump, having met the president after his wife Shannon, a cryptologist in the US Navy, was killed by a suicide bomber while fighting Islamic State in Syria in 2019, leaving him to raise their two sons.
Praise for Trump’s ’empathy and thoughtfulness’
In an opinion piece for NBC News, Sky News’ US partner network, published a year later, Mr Kent said he met Mr Trump in the days after his wife was killed and praised him for his “empathy and thoughtfulness on one of the worst days of my life”.
Mr Kent said he could “unmistakably” see in the president’s eyes “the same pain I’d seen in the eyes of other senior leaders who ultimately bear the responsibility for sending men and women to their deaths in combat”.
In a stark contrast to his resignation letter, Mr Kent went on to write: “His [Mr Trump’s] use of decisive military force only when absolutely necessary, combined with his reluctance to use the military as the sole tool of foreign policy, is not only good and smart, but the sign of utmost respect for the lives of our troops.”
He added: “Previous presidents’ support of endless wars has resulted in the loss of thousands of American lives and cost American taxpayers trillions of dollars, whereas President Trump’s limited use of military force and swift action when needed marks a decisive change from that policy.”
Ties to right-wing extremists and conspiracy theories
During his congressional campaign in 2022, Kent paid a member of the far-right group the Proud Boys, Graham Jorgensen, for consulting work.
He also worked closely with the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, Joey Gibson, while attracting support from a variety of far-right figures.
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Democrats opposed his appointment as head of the National Counterterrorism Center, criticising him for his past ties to far-right figures and his penchant for conspiracy theories.
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During his Senate confirmation hearing, Mr Kent refused to distance himself from the conspiracy theory that US federal agents instigated the January 6 attack at the US Capitol in 2021 and did not back down from false claims that Mr Trump won the 2020 presidential election.
He was also grilled by Democrats on his participation in a group chat on the Signal messaging app which was used by Mr Trump’s national security team to discuss airstrikes on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, while Republicans praised his counterterrorism qualifications and pointed to his military and intelligence experience.
