The resignation of Joe Kent from the National Counterterrorism Center is drawing attention to growing disagreements inside the Republican Party and within President Donald Trump’s MAGA coalition over the U.S. war in Iran.
Kent stepped down from his role on Tuesday after objecting to the administration’s military actions against Iran. Until his departure, most criticism of Trump’s foreign policy decisions had come from outside the administration, including Republican critics in Congress and conservative commentators such as Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly.
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But Kent’s resignation has shifted the spotlight to possible disagreements within the administration itself. “It’s bigger than any resignation that happened under Biden for Gaza,” said Curt Mills, editor of The American Conservative, a magazine that often advocates restraint in foreign policy.
“Joe Kent is not a nobody. He’s one of the most prominent people in the government,” Mills said. “Usually when people resign in protest, you hear their name for the first time. Plenty of people have heard Joe Kent’s name before.”
Kent rose to national prominence in 2021 when he ran for Congress in Washington state with Trump’s endorsement. He defeated then-Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler in the Republican primary after she voted to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Kent received support from prominent conservative figures, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and former Rep. Matt Gaetz.
Although Kent ultimately lost the general election to Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, the former Green Beret built a profile as a vocal critic of what he called the “military industrial complex” and often questioned U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts.
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After another unsuccessful congressional run in 2024, Kent was appointed to a position within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a move seen as an attempt by Trump to appeal to the noninterventionist wing of his political base.
Rep. Warren Davidson, who has pushed to limit Trump’s war powers regarding Iran, praised Kent’s record but said he was surprised by the resignation. “I was surprised by his resignation,” Davidson said.
Other Republicans dismissed Kent’s departure and the claims in his resignation letter, where he wrote that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation” and argued the U.S. “started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
Rep. Brian Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, downplayed Kent’s influence. “I never heard of him before today’s news,” Mast said. “Never crossed paths with him, never heard from him, never spoke to him, never one thing about him.”
Sen. Tom Cotton also rejected Kent’s argument. “I disagree with his misguided assessment. Iran’s vast missile arsenal and support for terrorism posed a grave and growing threat to America,” Cotton said. “Indeed, the ayatollahs have maimed and killed thousands of Americans. President Trump recognized this threat and made the right call to eliminate it.”
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