What to know about Joe Kent, Trump counterterrorism chief who resigned

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Joe Kent, who resigned Tuesday arsenic National Counterterrorism Center director, has been a stalwart Trump supporter, backing him since his 2016 campaign, done his 2020 predetermination defeat, the Jan. 6 riots, arsenic good arsenic during his ain blimpish media advocacy and 2 failed legislature bids.

But that ended with Mr. Trump's warfare successful Iran and his confederation with Israel against the Islamic clerics who led the Tehran government. In a resignation missive helium posted connected X, Kent said Tuesday that Iran "posed nary imminent menace to our nation," and helium asserted that "we started this warfare owed to unit from Israel and its almighty American lobby."

Kent, 45, is simply a peculiar forces combat seasoned with ties to right-wing extremists and was viewed arsenic a Trump loyalist. His reasons for resigning contradicted the president's assertion that Iran was poised to onslaught the U.S.

On Feb. 28, successful a video announcing the archetypal airstrikes, Mr. Trump said his nonsubjective was "eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime."

"Its menacing activities straight endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies passim the world," Mr. Trump said of Iran.

Kent, successful his resignation missive to Mr. Trump suggested the president had been misled and that "high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation run ... to promote a warfare with Iran." GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky in a station connected X attacked the "virulent anti-Semitism of his resignation letter" and said it was wide Kent was incapable of upholding a pledge he'd made to senators "to pb with integrity and accountability."

An medication authoritative told CBS News that Kent was not progressive connected briefings connected Iran.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, whose bureau oversaw Kent's work, said it was up to Mr. Trump to determine whether Iran posed a menace to the U.S.

"After cautiously reviewing each the accusation earlier him, President Trump concluded that the violent Islamist authorities successful Iran posed an imminent menace and helium took enactment based connected that conclusion," she wrote successful a societal media station Tuesday.

Association with far-right figures, conspiracy theories

In his Senate confirmation hearings, Kent acknowledged that during 1 of his 2 failed legislature campaigns, a governmental advisor acceptable up a telephone joined by right-wing achromatic nationalist Nick Fuentes. Fuentes has said that Jews are holding the U.S. "hostage" and erstwhile proclaimed that "Hitler was awesome; Hitler was right."

When helium ran for a House spot successful 2022, 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.

Kent has besides endorsed a fig of conspiracy theories and made a fig of arguable claims. He's claimed the COVID vaccine wasn't a vaccine, but rather, "an experimental cistron therapy" and has besides said Anthony Fauci, the erstwhile manager of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, should face murder charges. Kent besides said helium believes the 2020 predetermination was stolen from Mr. Trump and has referred to the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters arsenic "political prisoners."

He echoed a conspiracy mentation that national agents had someway instigated the Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught astatine the Capitol. He said Biden should beryllium impeached and called for an probe into the 2020 election. Kent called for the defunding of the FBI aft its hunt astatine the president's Mar-a-Lago location for classified documents.

Kent aboriginal disavowed immoderate of his right-wing ties and said helium rejected each "racism and bigotry." During his Senate hearings, helium declined to region himself from his 2020 predetermination denialism.

He was confirmed successful July connected a 52-44 Senate ballot that fell intimately on enactment lines. Every Democrat opposed his nomination, citing his right-wing ties. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina was the lone Republican to reason Kent's confirmation.

As the manager of the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent led an quality bureau that was created aft the 9/11 attacks to analyse and observe violent threats. Among different tasks, the bureau maintains the U.S. government's database of known and suspected terrorists.

Kent's subject background

Before his confirmation, Kent worked arsenic Gabbard's main of staff. He's a retired Green Beret who deployed to 11 combat missions, mostly successful Iraq, during a 20-year vocation successful the Army.

After his status successful 2018, helium became a paramilitary serviceman with the CIA and served arsenic a counterterrorism advisor to Trump's 2020 statesmanlike reelection campaign. He was a regular connected blimpish cablegram shows and podcasts earlier and during his 2022 and 2024 legislature bids.

Kent's archetypal wife, Shannon Kent, was a Navy cryptologist killed by a termination bomber successful 2019 portion warring the Islamic State radical successful Syria. She was fluent successful 7 languages and paved the mode for the accrued inclusion of women successful Special Operations Forces. She served aggregate tours successful Iraq and participated successful a fig of peculiar operations that resulted successful the seizure of hundreds of force insurgents, according to the Navy.

After his wife's death, Kent spoke retired against U.S. involution astir the world. "That is wherefore I person a skepticism of our national government," helium said, adding that Shannon had died due to the fact that "Republicans and Democrats consistently lied to the American radical to support america engaged successful wars abroad."

During the U.S.'s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan successful 2021, Kent lambasted the defence manufacture and "permanent ruling class" successful Washington. He suggested immoderate proponents of overseas federation gathering were naïve and others were driven by nett motives.

"It speaks to our hubris," Kent told reporters portion campaigning for Congress. "For america not to person learned from each this conscionable shows that determination are radical making wealth and making their careers astatine the different extremity of it. They've been doing it connected the backs and dormant bodies of U.S. soldiers."

Mr. Trump praised Kent erstwhile helium nominated him successful February 2025, saying successful a societal media station that Kent "will assistance america support America harmless by eradicating each terrorism, from the jihadists astir the World, to the cartels successful our backyard."

In Senate confirmation hearings, Kent focused connected cartels, alternatively than Middle East

But astatine his Senate confirmation hearings, Kent focused heavy connected Latin American cause cartels, alternatively than the Middle East.

"President Trump is committed to identifying these cartels and these convulsive pack members and making definite that we find them and that we get them retired of our country," Kent told the Senate Intelligence Committee.

His nomination faced immoderate scrutiny when emails emerged showing that portion helium was Gabbard's main of staff, helium had pressed elder quality analysts to amend an appraisal of links betwixt the Venezuelan authorities and the transgression gang, Tren de Aragua. In the emails, Kent pressed the analysts to align the appraisal much intimately with Trump medication policies and to see references that criticized Biden-era migration programs. Kent's revisions supported Mr. Trump's assertions that Tren de Aragua members could beryllium removed nether the wartime Alien Enemies Act.

Signal chat astir strikes connected Houthis

During his confirmation hearing, Democratic senators grilled Kent astir his information successful a radical chat connected Signal utilized by Mr. Trump's nationalist information squad to sermon delicate subject plans.

The Signal chat, which inadvertently included the editor successful main of The Atlantic magazine, showed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided accusation astir the timing of warplane launches and airstrikes against Houthis successful Yemen successful March 2025. The disclosure of typically classified accusation came earlier the men and women flying those attacks were airborne.

It became an embarrassing flashpoint for the administration, though apical Trump medication officials denied classified accusation was divulged and Hegseth, Kent and others faced nary consequences from the president.

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