The White House on Wednesday issued a sharp rebuke of Joe Kent, the nation’s top counterterrorism official, following his Tuesday resignation in protest of the ongoing U.S. military campaign in Iran. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed Kent’s exit, asserting he was “not up for the job” and characterizing his resignation letter as a collection of “falsehoods.”
The departure of Kent, 45, as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) marks the first high-level resignation within the administration since hostilities began on Feb. 28. In a scathing letter to President Donald Trump, Kent alleged the administration was pressured into the conflict by “Israel and its powerful American lobby,” claiming Iran posed no imminent threat to U.S. national security.
White House Challenges Kent’s Credibility
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Leavitt, 28, defended the President’s military strategy and questioned Kent’s proximity to the decision-making process. She claimed Kent had been absent from the White House “for quite some time” and played no role in the President’s daily classified intelligence briefings.
“The president feels it’s deeply disappointing that… [Kent] would resign with a letter filled with falsehoods,” Leavitt said. She specifically pushed back against Kent’s suggestion that the administration was acting under foreign influence, calling the accusation “both insulting and laughable.”
President Trump, 79, echoed these sentiments from the Oval Office, describing Kent as a “nice guy” who was ultimately “weak on security.”
“It’s a good thing that he’s out because he said Iran was not a threat,” Trump told reporters.
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Allegations of Misinformation and Foreign Pressure
Kent, an Iraq War veteran and Gold Star widower, framed his resignation as a stand against what he termed a “misinformation campaign” designed to undermine the “America First” platform.
In his letter, Kent drew parallels between the current conflict and the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq War, alleging that “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media” deceived the administration regarding the imminence of the Iranian threat.
“I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people,” Kent wrote, citing the 2019 death of his wife, Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent, in Syria as a primary motivator for his opposition.
Bipartisan Backlash and Support
While Kent’s resignation highlighted internal fissures regarding Middle East policy, his rhetoric drew swift condemnation from both sides of the aisle:
- Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE): The former Air Force general labeled Kent’s claims as “anti-Semitism,” stating on social media, “Good riddance… we surely don’t want it in our government.”
- Ilan Goldenberg (J Street): The senior VP of the pro-Israel group noted that while he opposes the war, Kent’s narrative of a “secret conspiracy” was “ugly stuff.”
- Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA): While calling Kent’s record “deeply troubling,” the Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman agreed with the core premise that “there was no credible evidence of an imminent threat from Iran.”
The administration maintains that the military operations are essential to national security, citing Iran as the world’s “number one state sponsor of terror.”
