Tuesday morning, Joe Kent announced that he is resigning from his role as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center effectively immediately.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” he wrote on X.
Kent also shared his resignation letter addressed to the president. It reads:
I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, 2024, which you enacted in your first term. Until June of 2025, you understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.
In your first administration, you understood better than any modern President how to decisively apply military power without getting us drawn into never-ending wars. You demonstrated this by killing Qassam Solamani and by defeating ISIS.
Early in this administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran. This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory. This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women. We cannot make this mistake again.
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.
I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for. The time for bold action is now. You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos. You hold the cards.
It was an honor to serve in your administration and to serve our great nation.
Last week the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV invited Christians who bear responsibility for war to make a serious examination of conscience.
— Catholics for Catholics 🇺🇲 (@CforCatholics) March 17, 2026
Joe Kent has courageously responded to this call.
Honor and respect to patriots like him. God bless you @joekent16jan19 https://t.co/6hP9iJVxod
Prior to serving as the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent had a lengthy career in the US Army, including fighting in the First Battle of Fallujah. He then worked for the CIA. His wife, who was also serving in the Army, was killed in a suicide bombing in Syria in 2019. After this tragic event, he turned his efforts towards political commentary, specifically critical of the war on terror. He campaigned for Trump and promoted an America First platform and was the Republican nominee for Washington’s third district in 2022 and 2024.
Kent, a Catholic, also announced that he will be attending the Catholic Prayer for America event hosted by Catholics for Catholics this Thursday, March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph.
