Joseph Kent, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump and the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned, citing his disagreement with Trump's stance on Iran and his concerns over Israeli influence, while also facing scrutiny over his ties to right-wing extremism and antisemitism. His resignation letter and previous statements contradict Trump's claims about Iran and highlight Kent's past associations with controversial figures and ideologies.
FILE – Joseph Kent appears before a Senate Committee on Intelligence hearing for his pending confirmation to be director of the National Counterterrorism Center, on Capitol Hill, April 9, 2025, in Washington.
The U.S. counterterrorism official who resigned Tuesday had been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump through his 2020 election defeat, the Jan. 6 riots and years of conservative media advocacy and failed congressional bids.in Iran and his alliance with Israel against the Islamic clerics who led the Tehran government were too much for Joe Kent.Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation,” and he asserted that “we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” A 45-year-old special forces combat veteran with ties to right-wing extremists, Kent was considered as much of a loyalist as Trump could have in the government’s top counterterrorism post. FILE – Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appear before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 11, 2025. FILE – From left, Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Michael Glasheen, operations director of the National Security Branch of the FBI, raise their arms before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 11, 2025. FILE – Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, speaks during the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 11, 2025. FILE – Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, appears before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 11, 2025. FILE – Joseph Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appear before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 11, 2025. Kent’s stated reasons for resigning run counter to Trump’s insistence that Iran was poised to attack the U.S. On Feb. 28, the day the U.S. and Israel launched the first airstrikes, Trump said this about Iran: “Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.” In a resignation letter to Trump, Kent countered that “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign … to encourage a war with Iran.”His reference to Israel and claims about Jewish Americans’ political influence highlight Kent’s previous ties to antisemitism and right-wing extremism. It’s an antisemitic trope to suggest Jewish Americans have disproportionate control of media narratives.hearings, Kent acknowledged that during one of his two failed congressional campaigns a political consultant set up a call joined by Nick Fuentes. A popular right-wing influencer, Fuentes has said that Jews are holding the U.S. “hostage” and once proclaimed that “Hitler was awesome, Hitler was right.”Israel says it killed 2 top Iranian officials in wartime blow to country’s leadership Dismantling of Boulder’s NCAR by Trump administration is retaliatory and illegal, universities allege in new lawsuitUnited Arab Emirates briefly closes airspace as Israel strikes Lebanon and Tehran During his 2022 House campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of far-right figures.that Trump won the 2020 election over President Joe Biden. Kent has called for the impeachment of Biden and an investigation into the 2020 election. He’s also called for defunding the FBI after the search at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home for classified documents. Kent later disavowed some of his right-wing ties and said he rejected all “racism and bigotry.” During his Senate hearings, he declined to distance himself from his 2020 election denialism.Kent was confirmed in July on a 52-44 Senate vote that fell almost entirely along party lines. Every Democrat opposed his nomination, citing his right-wing ties. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., was the lone GOP vote against Kent’s confirmation. In his post, Kent led an intelligence agency that was created after the 9/11 attacks to analyze and detect terrorist threats. Among other tasks, the agency maintains the U.S. government’s list of known and suspected terrorists.. A former Green Beret, Kent was deployed to 11 combat missions, mostly in Iraq, during 20 years in the Army. After his retirement in 2018, he became a paramilitary officer with the CIA and served as a counterterrorism adviser to Trump’s 2020 presidential reelection campaign. He was a regular on conservative cable shows and podcasts before and during his 2022 and 2024 congressional bids.Kent’s first wife, Shannon Smith, was a Navy cryptologist killed by a suicide bomber in 2019 while fighting the Islamic State group in Syria.“That is why I have a skepticism of our federal government,” he said of his wife’s death, adding that she died because “Republicans and Democrats consistently lied to the American people to keep us engaged in wars abroad.”in 2021, Kent tore into the defense industry and “permanent ruling class” in Washington. He suggested some proponents of foreign nation building were naïve, while others were driven by far more cynical motives. “It speaks to our hubris,” Kent told reporters while campaigning for Congress. “For us not to have learned from all this just shows that there are people making money and making their careers at the other end of it. They’ve been doing it on the backs and dead bodies of U.S. soldiers.”Trump was effusive when he nominated Kent in February 2025. “Joe will help us keep America safe by eradicating all terrorism, from the jihadists around the World, to the cartels in our backyard,” Trump said on social media.“President Trump is committed to identifying these cartels and these violent gang members and making sure that we locate them and that we get them out of our country,” Kent told Senate Intelligence Committee members. As Gabbard’s chief of staff, Kent told an intelligence analyst to revise an assessment of the relationship between the Venezuelan government and a transnational gang. The revisions supported Trump’s assertions that members of the gang could be removed under the Alien Enemies Act, which has typically been considered a wartime law.The Signal chat, which mistakenly included a journalist at The Atlantic magazine, showed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth providing the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop in attacks against Yemen’s Houthis in March 2025. The disclosure of typically classified information came before the men and women flying those attacks were airborne. It became an embarrassing flashpoint for the administration, though Hegseth, Kent and others faced no consequences from the president.No permit required to hike to Colorado's Blue Lakes in 2026Hundreds of flights delayed, dozens canceled at Denver International AirportLone Tree private school says it ‘suffered significant damage’ from bookkeeperDismantling of Boulder's NCAR by Trump administration is retaliatory and illegal, universities allege in new lawsuit
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