On March 18, 2026, Joseph Kent, former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, the largest terrorism response center in the United States, resigned from his position as a top counterterrorism official.
Joseph Kent has served in many government positions, first as an army warrant officer, then as a paramilitary officer in the Central Intelligence Agency(CIA), and eventually serving as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, having been nominated by President Trump and approved by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Kent released a public statement shared across social media platforms, addressing President Trump himself.
“…I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.” He begins saying, noting that Iran did not pose a direct threat to the United States, and that the war was clearly started due to “pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”. Kent goes on to say that he did undeniably support President Trump’s values and foreign policies from 2016-2024, noting Trump’s efforts to apply military power where it was needed, and defeat terrorist group ISIS during his first term.
Kent then states that high ranking Israeli officials have led to extreme misinformation and that “This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States,” pointing out that President Trump was deceived and believed in the misinformation that he was fed, which ultimately led to strikes on Iran.
“As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times and as a Gold Star husband who lost my wife Shannon in a war manufactured by Israel…” Kent states that he has lost people in his family to war, and is not willing to continue to serve an administration that is promoting wars, “…I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives.”
Kent then ends his statement with a message to President Trump, “you hold the cards.” signifying that ultimately, the President has the power to end this war or continue along with the nation’s decline into chaos.
