Joe Kent, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned Tuesday in protest against the Iran War.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote in a resignation letter posted to the social media platform X.
“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 added.
Kent, a 20-year U.S. Army and 11-time combat veteran who lost his wife, Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent, to a suicide bombing in Syria in 2019, addressed his letter directly to President Donald Trump.
“I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, 2024, which you enacted in your first term,” Kent wrote. “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.”
After briefly reviewing Trump’s first administration, Kent blamed an Israeli-led “misinformation campaign” for the current war.
“Early in this administration,” Kent wrote, “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 you should strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory.”
Kent then compared those recent developments to the falsehoods that triggered America’s war in Iraq two decades ago.
“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,” Kent added. “We cannot make this mistake again.”
In closing, Kent begged Trump to reconsider the Iran War.
“I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for,” Kent wrote. “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.”
Kent, who served under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, sent shock waves across social media with his resignation letter.
Indeed, some X users blasted Kent, while others hailed him as a hero.
Former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich, for instance, called the combat veteran a “crazed egomaniac.” Budowich also called the man who lost his wife in a Middle Eastern war a “loser.”
Joe Kent is a crazed egomaniac who was often at the center of national security leaks, while rarely (never?) producing any actual work.
He spent all of his time working to subvert the chain of command and undermine the President of the United States.
This isn’t some principled… https://t.co/bcv0Kh6XVH
— Taylor Budowich (@Budowich) March 17, 2026
Likewise, Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska declared, “Good riddance.”
“Anti-Semitism is an evil I detest,” Bacon wrote, presumably referring to Kent’s references to the government of Israel, “and we surely don’t want it in our government.”
Good riddance. Iran has murdered more than a thousand Americans. Their EFP land mines were the deadliest in Iraq. Anti-Semitism is an evil I detest, and we surely don’t want it in our government. https://t.co/XuJBctblsd
— Rep. Don Bacon 🇺🇸✈️🏍️⭐️🎖️ (@RepDonBacon) March 17, 2026
Meanwhile, Will Chamberlain of the Article III Project opted against ad hominem attacks, choosing instead to attempt to refute Kent’s letter point-by-point.
Going through this letter in detail:
“Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States.”
Neither did ISIS. And yet you applaud their defeat later on in your letter. Just because an adversary isn’t an “imminent threat” doesn’t mean you should wait until that threat is… https://t.co/P1CIyKRwQi
— Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) March 17, 2026
On the other hand, the war in Iran has many detractors on the political right. As one might expect, those detractors praised Kent for his resignation.
“I hope this wakes some people up,” former Navy SEAL and current podcaster Shawn Ryan wrote.
Sometimes the most impactful statement you can make is a strong resignation. It’s unfortunate it’s come down to this. God’s speed @joekent16jan19 I hope this wakes some people up. https://t.co/3zWc1g0I5c
— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyan762) March 17, 2026
“Joe Kent is a GREAT AMERICAN HERO,” former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia wrote. “God bless him and protect him!”
Joe Kent is a GREAT AMERICAN HERO.
God bless him and protect him! https://t.co/7VZYhrOM5O— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@FmrRepMTG) March 17, 2026
Likewise, retired judge Andrew Napolitano, a current podcaster perhaps best known for his many appearances over the years as a legal analyst on Fox News, praised Kent and called for his now-former boss to follow suit.
“Integrity. A Hero Emerges from the dark. Where’s Tulsi?” Napolitano wrote.
Integrity. A Hero Emerges from the dark. Where’s Tulsi? https://t.co/Rjueil5UCn
— Judge Napolitano (@Judgenap) March 17, 2026
In short, those who have supported Trump’s war in Iran decried what they perceived as Kent’s treachery, whereas those on the right who have opposed that war welcomed the resignation as an act of heroism.
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