Top counterterrorism official Kent resigns over Trump's Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Kent, the manager of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation connected Tuesday, saying helium “cannot successful bully conscience” backmost the Trump administration’s warfare successful Iran.

Kent said connected societal media Iran “posed nary imminent menace to our nation, and it is wide that we started this warfare owed to unit from Israel and its almighty American lobby.”

Kent, a erstwhile governmental campaigner with connections to right-wing extremists, was confirmed to his station past July connected a 52-44 vote.

As caput of the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent was successful complaint of an bureau tasked with analyzing and detecting violent threats.

Before entering President Donald Trump's administration, Kent ran 2 unsuccessful campaigns for Congress successful Washington state. He besides served successful the military, seeing 11 deployments arsenic a Green Beret, followed by enactment astatine the CIA.

Democrats powerfully opposed Kent's confirmation, pointing to his past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories. During his 2022 legislature campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a subordinate of the far-right subject radical the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He besides worked intimately with Joey Gibson, the laminitis of the Christian nationalist radical Patriot Prayer, and attracted enactment from a assortment of far-right figures.

During his Senate confirmation hearing, Kent besides refused to region himself from a conspiracy mentation that national agents instigated the Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught astatine the Capitol, arsenic good arsenic mendacious claims that Trump, a Republican, won the 2020 predetermination implicit Democrat Joe Biden.

Democrats grilled Kent connected his information successful a radical chat connected Signal that was utilized by Trump’s nationalist information squad to sermon delicate subject plans.

Still, Republicans praised Kent's counterterrorism qualifications, pointing to his subject and quality experience.

Sen. Tom Cotton, the GOP seat of the quality committee, said successful a level code that Kent had "dedicated his vocation to warring coercion and keeping Americans safe.”

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