Joe Kent rose on the right as a combat veteran turned political insurgent — a former Green Beret and CIA officer who channeled his battlefield experience into a critique of America’s «endless wars» and the D.C. establishment that sustained them.

A vocal ally of President Donald Trump and a participant in post-2020 election challenges, Kent became a prominent voice in the populist wing of the GOP.

Now, his recent resignation as director of the National Counterterrorism Center — and his accusation that the war in Iran was driven by «pressure from Israel» — has triggered a swift GOP backlash, leaving Kent isolated from parts of the political movement that once embraced him.

TRUMP RESURFACES OLD TWEET FROM INTEL OFFICIAL WHO RESIGNED 

Kent’s Tuesday resignation letter laid out a direct challenge to the Trump administration’s justification for the Iran War, stating that «Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation» and arguing that the conflict was driven by «pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.» 

He also alleged that a «misinformation campaign» by Israeli officials and U.S. media had pushed the United States toward war, claims that quickly drew condemnation from lawmakers in both parties.

After Kent’s abrupt resignation, it came to light that he had been under investigation by the FBI for weeks for allegedly leaking classified information. 

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was unaware of the probe, a senior intelligence official told Fox News Digital Thursday. 

Administration officials also told Fox News Kent had been cut out of planning meetings for the current Iran mission, known as Operation Epic Fury, as well as the president’s daily briefings.

Kent’s resignation, now shadowed by a reported FBI investigation into alleged leaks, has thrust a once-rising figure in Trump’s orbit into the center of a growing clash over the administration’s Iran strategy, how intelligence is used in decisions on military action, and internal tensions within the national security team.

A combat veteran turned political figure

Kent’s rise in conservative circles was shaped as much by his military career as by personal loss. 

A 20-year Army Special Forces veteran and former CIA paramilitary officer, he served in multiple combat deployments before entering public life.

His profile grew significantly after the 2019 death of his first wife, Navy Senior Chief Shannon, who was killed in a suicide bombing in Syria. 

Kent frequently has cited her death as a turning point for him, fueling his criticism of what he describes as failed U.S. foreign policy and «endless wars» in the Middle East.

He later entered politics, running for Congress in 2022 and 2024 in Washington state as a Republican aligned with President Donald Trump’s «America First» movement. 

Kent secured Trump’s endorsement during his campaigns and became a prominent voice in the populist wing of the party, combining a hardline stance on national security with opposition to prolonged military interventions.

Kent was killed in an ISIS bombing in Syria in 2019.  (US Navy )

Signs of tension inside the intelligence community

Kent’s recent departure has raised questions about internal dynamics within the Trump administration’s national security team, particularly as differences emerge over Iran strategy and the intelligence used to justify it.

While Gabbard has long aligned herself with a more restrained approach to foreign policy, the White House has taken a more aggressive posture toward Iran, raising the possibility of a widening divide over both strategy and the intelligence used to justify it.

Gabbard has responded cautiously in the days since Kent’s resignation, avoiding a direct defense of his claims while emphasizing the role of the president in making final decisions.

In a statement on Iran threats following Kent’s departure, Gabbard did not mention him by name, instead stressing that intelligence agencies provide assessments but that «the president is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat.»

Pressed by senators in a worldwide threat hearing Wednesday over whether she agreed with the White House that Iran posed an imminent threat to the U.S. prior to strikes that began Feb. 28, she repeatedly declined to say so, arguing it was up to the president to make such a determination.

During a parallel hearing in the House Thursday, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., read portions of Kent’s resignation letter — including his claim that Israeli officials and U.S. media had pushed the United States toward war — and asked whether Gabbard agreed with the statement.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth greets one of Joe Kent’s sons. The former National Counterterrorism Director is a father of two and a Gold Star spouse. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery)

«He said a lot of things in that letter,» Gabbard responded, adding that the president «makes his own decisions based on the information that’s available to him.» 

When asked whether Kent’s comments concerned her, Gabbard replied simply: «Yes.»

TOP COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL RESIGNS IN PROTEST OF US WAR AGAINST IRAN

Kent’s remarks also have drawn sharp criticism from senior Republicans. 

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell described the language in Kent’s resignation letter as «virulent anti-Semitism,» calling it «baseless and incendiary conspiracies» and saying such views have «no place» in government.

In early March, Gabbard’s chief of staff, Matt Baker, left his role, though a senior intelligence official told Fox News Digital Baker’s departure was a long-planned return to the private sector. 

Gabbard also has recently brought on Dan Caldwell, an outspoken advocate of a more restrained foreign policy. Caldwell previously was the subject of a Pentagon leak probe during his time working with War Secretary Pete Hegseth, though the results of that probe have not been publicized and Caldwell insists they are unsubstantiated. 

A source familiar with that move said Caldwell will be doing administration work rather than shaping policy.

Gabbard’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.

Non-interventionist Republicans praised Kent after his departure. 

«Another insider sees what we see: no imminent threat, just lobby pressure. This is why we need to defund and debate,» said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. 

«Joe Kent is a GREAT AMERICAN HERO. God bless him and protect him! He just exposed that the war with Iran is AMERICA LAST and we voted against it,» said former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.

A shift in his views on Iran

Kent’s past comments on Iran reflect a more nuanced position than his resignation might suggest. 

During his congressional campaigns, he consistently portrayed Iran as a real and ongoing threat and warned against allowing it to expand its influence across the region.

At times, Kent’s rhetoric went further, reflecting a willingness to use direct force against Iran when he viewed it as necessary. 

In a 2020 social media post following the U.S. strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force responsible for operations outside Iran. Kent urged the administration to «wipe Iran’s ballistic capability out,» while still calling for U.S. troops to be withdrawn from the region.

 The comments highlighted a tension that has defined his foreign policy views —support for aggressive, targeted action against adversaries alongside a deep opposition to prolonged military entanglements.

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By 2024, Kent had coalesced around a doctrine of what he described as «peace through strength,» praising Trump-era policies that combined sanctions, targeted strikes and diplomacy while avoiding large-scale military commitments. 

In a Newsweek op-ed that year, he argued that sending U.S. troops to confront Iran or its proxies would be «a huge mistake,» advocating instead for withdrawing forces from vulnerable positions while continuing to strike adversaries from a distance.

His resignation marks a sharper break: not just opposing escalation, but rejecting the premise that Iran posed an imminent threat at all.

Kent could not be reached for comment. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI for comment on its ongoing investigation. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has called the claims in Kent’s resignation letter «false» and «laughable.» 

«There are many false claims in this letter, but let me address one specifically: that ‘Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.’ This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over,» she wrote on X.

«The absurd allegation that President Trump made this decision based on the influence of others, even foreign countries, is both insulting and laughable.»

Escenarios

¿Podría la guerra de Trump tener un final feliz?

Objetivo

¿Qué demonios debería hacer Trump?

El nuevo líder supremo de Irán, Mojtaba Khamenei, no ejerce control efectivo sobre el régimen y es considerado una figura sin poder real, según fuentes de seguridad nacional israelíes citadas este miércoles por Fox News Digital.

“El nuevo líder es una entidad vacía”, dijo Kobi Michael, analista de defensa del Instituto de Estudios de Seguridad Nacional, al medio estadounidense. “Mojtaba Khamenei no aparece en público, pero también tenemos información confiable de que no controla ni lidera el régimen ni lo que queda de él. El liderazgo iraní actual está roto, confundido y casi en mal funcionamiento”, agregó.

Mojtaba asumió el cargo tras la muerte de su padre, el ayatolá Ali Khamenei, en un ataque israelí el 28 de febrero. Según un audio filtrado al diario The Telegraph, correspondiente a una reunión del 12 de marzo, el hijo escapó por minutos al haber salido a caminar justo antes del impacto del misil. El jefe de protocolo de la oficina de Khamenei, Mazaher Hosseini, es supuestamente escuchado en la grabación informando a altos líderes que Mojtaba sufrió “una lesión menor en la pierna”.

Desde que fue designado líder supremo, Mojtaba no ha realizado ninguna aparición pública. Sus comunicados han sido leídos por terceros en la televisión estatal iraní, donde advirtió sobre represalias y llamó a las naciones del Golfo a cerrar las bases militares estadounidenses en la región. Otros reportes lo situaron en estado crítico o incluso en coma, aunque funcionarios iraníes insistieron en que se encuentra en buen estado de salud.

Este miércoles, Mojtaba prometió venganza tras la muerte del alto funcionario de seguridad Ali Larijani, eliminado en un ataque israelí en las afueras de Teherán. “Tales actos de terror solo reflejan la hostilidad de los enemigos y fortalecerán la determinación de la nación islámica. Sin duda, se hará justicia”, rezó el comunicado emitido en su nombre.

Las declaraciones sobre el estado del liderazgo iraní llegan en medio de una escalada en el conflicto. Irán intensificó sus ataques contra instalaciones energéticas del Golfo Pérsico en represalia por un ataque israelí contra South Pars, el mayor yacimiento de gas del mundo, compartido con Qatar.

Las ofensivas iraníes alcanzaron refinerías en Arabia Saudita, Kuwait y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, y causaron daños severos en la planta de gas natural licuado de Ras Laffan, en Qatar, la mayor instalación de exportación de GNL del mundo. El precio del petróleo Brent trepó hasta los 118 dólares el barril, más de un 60% por encima de los valores previos al inicio del conflicto el 28 de febrero, mientras que el gas natural europeo duplicó su precio en el último mes.

Israel también ha eliminado en días recientes a otros altos mandos iraníes, incluido el jefe de la milicia Basij, Gholamreza Soleimani. El secretario de Defensa estadounidense, Pete Hegseth, advirtió que podrían seguir más bajas entre la cúpula del régimen.

Para Michael, la eliminación sistemática de figuras clave del régimen no es un hecho aislado sino parte de una estrategia deliberada. “Esto no es una nueva fase, sino un esfuerzo continuo, muy exitoso e impresionante, y un componente crucial de la estrategia destinada a debilitar el régimen iraní”, señaló el analista. “En un grado tal que no podrá reconstituirse ni volver a convertirse en una amenaza grave y desestabilizadora para el Medio Oriente en general”, agregó.

Michael apuntó que tanto Washington como Tel Aviv tienen un objetivo más ambicioso que el meramente militar. “Al debilitar el régimen y paralizar sus capacidades, Estados Unidos e Israel están facilitando las condiciones necesarias para que el pueblo iraní derribe al régimen. Esa es la victoria final a sus ojos”, sostuvo.

El conflicto, que ya lleva más de 1.300 muertos en Irán y al menos 13 militares estadounidenses caídos, entró en su tercera semana sin señales de distensión. El presidente Donald Trump afirmó que Israel no volverá a atacar South Pars, pero amenazó con destruir “la totalidad” del yacimiento si Irán continúa golpeando la infraestructura energética de Qatar.