Top Counterterrorism Official Joe Kent Resigns Over Iran War

The Beltway Pundit
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209 Video Views·Mar 17, 2026
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Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation on Tuesday,
saying he cannot in good conscience support the Trump administration's war in Iran.
As a veteran who deployed to combat 11 times, and as a Gold Star husband who lost my beloved
wife Shannon in a war manufactured by Israel, 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, he wrote in his resignation letter to President Donald Trump.
He urged Trump to end the Iran war.
You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip
further toward decline and chaos, he wrote.
Kent, a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, was confirmed to
his post last July on a 52-44 vote.
His resignation shows the dilemma for some of Trump's supporters, who strongly support
his America First agenda, but are hesitant to back his military activities in western Hampshire.
