Joe Kent, the embattled director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), has resigned in protest over the ongoing U.S. war in Iran, declaring that Tehran posed no imminent threat and that American policy has been driven by pressure from Israel and its stateside allies.
His dramatic break with the administrations war policy comes on the eve of NCTC Deputy Director Tulsi Gabbards scheduled testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on global threats, according to the Daily Caller. In an X post that instantly reverberated across Washington, Kent 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.
Kent, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and a key national security figure in the Presidents second administration, was confirmed as NCTC director in July. His public rebuke stands in sharp contrast to the administrations justification for launching the conflict, which has leaned heavily on claims that Iran was rapidly rebuilding its nuclear weapons capability even after U.S. forces reportedly obliterated the regimes primary nuclear site in June during Operation Midnight Hammer.
In his resignation letter, Kent argued that the Presidents America First agenda had been hijacked by foreign interests and their media allies.
He wrote that the Presidents platform was derailed by a misinformation campaign waged by high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media, as the death toll for U.S. service members in the Iran war has climbed to thirteen.
This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing 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 warned in the letter. 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.
His resignation also follows fresh reports that Israel killed Irans top security chief, Ali Larijani, in an airstrike on Tuesday. Larijani, described as the most powerful figure in the Islamic Republic after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was targeted after Khamenei himself was killed on the first day of the war.
Senior administration officials briefed the bipartisan Gang of Eight in February, and House Speaker Mike Johnson later told reporters that Israel believed it faced an existential threat from Iran and would have acted with or without U.S. support. Officials have continued to insist that the military campaign and associated strikes in the region reflect an America first objective, despite growing skepticism from non-interventionist conservatives.
Gabbard, who will appear before lawmakers this week, has long opposed U.S. military adventurism abroad, a stance she championed during her tenure as a Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii.
Her upcoming testimony now unfolds against the backdrop of Kents resignation and his charge that American blood and treasure are being spent to serve foreign priorities rather than core U.S. interests.
Kent, a veteran of the Iraq war and retired U.S. Army Special Forces operator, has paid a personal price for Americas post-9/11 interventions. His wife, Navy Chief cryptologist Shannon Kent, was killed in a 2019 suicide bombing in Manbij, Syria, a conflict he described in his letter as a war manufactured by Israel, leaving behind their two children.
I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for. The time for bold action is now, Kent urged the President in his closing appeal. 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.
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