Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent said Friday that the reported FBI investigation into him is an attempt to distract from what he calls the Trump administration’s true motives for going to war with Iran, arguing that the probe is being used to “steal the narrative” away from criticism of the conflict itself.
Kent, who resigned over the Iran war on Tuesday, made the remarks during an appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show, where he addressed reports that the FBI is investigating him for allegedly leaking classified information.
Newsweek reached out to the FBI, which declined to comment.
Why It Matters
Kent’s resignation and the reported FBI investigation come amid ongoing debate over the Trump administration’s rationale for strikes against Iran, elevating questions around potential internal dissent and the credibility of stated justifications for the war.
Kent led an agency that analyzes terrorist threats and advises senior officials, making his public break with the Trump admin—along with the reported probe and Kent’s reaction to it—significant.
What to Know
On February 28, the U.S. launched strikes against Iran following escalating tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, with Israel also carrying out military operations, sending the Middle East into a conflict that has widened in the subsequent weeks.
Kent, in a resignation letter addressed to President Donald Trump that he shared on his X account, said 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 also wrote: “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.”
The National Counterterrorism Center coordinates counterterrorism efforts across federal agencies and serves as a central hub for assessing risks to U.S. national security, with its director—until recently Kent—acting as a senior adviser to the president on terrorism‑related matters. It’s housed within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, led by Tulsi Gabbard.
The FBI is investigating Kent over allegations that he improperly shared classified information while serving in his role, Semafor reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources and adding that the probe began before Kent announced his resignation. Other media outlets followed with similar reports.
Kent said Friday that he was unaware of any investigation before reports surfaced, and he questioned why details of an alleged probe were being leaked rather than formally presented to him.
“If there truly was an FBI investigation, then there would be a process and procedure for that,” he said. “They would actually formally come to me.”
Kent denied leaking classified information and said the timing of the reports was suspicious, coming as he continued to speak publicly against the Iran war. He added, “I knew this was going to happen. I know their playbook.”
President Donald Trump reacted to Kent’s resignation on Tuesday, saying: “I always thought he was weak on security. Very weak on security. It’s a good thing that he’s out.”
Trump added that if someone in his administration did not believe Iran was a threat, “we don’t want those people.”
“They’re not smart people, or they’re not savvy people,” Trump said. “Iran was a tremendous threat.”
Gabbard pushed back on Kent’s claims in an X post on Tuesday, hours after he resigned, saying that determining what constitutes an imminent threat ultimately rests with the president and that the intelligence community’s role is to provide coordinated assessments.
Kent, a former U.S. Army warrant officer, completed two decades of military service, including 11 combat deployments, and later worked with the Central Intelligence Agency before entering government leadership. He previously ran for Congress in Washington state in 2022 and 2024 and was confirmed as director of the National Counterterrorism Center by a 52–44 Senate vote in July 2025.
Kent’s late wife was a U.S. Navy senior chief petty officer and cryptologic technician who served alongside special operations forces and was killed in a 2019 ISIS suicide bombing in Syria. Kent often cites her death as a defining personal loss that shaped his views on U.S. military interventions, describing himself as a Gold Star husband.
What People Are Saying
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on X on Kent’s resignation letter: “As President Trump has clearly and explicitly stated, he had strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first. This evidence was compiled from many sources and factors. President Trump would never make the decision to deploy military assets against a foreign adversary in a vacuum…the absurd allegation that President Trump made this decision based on the influence of others, even foreign countries, is both insulting and laughable.”
Senator Mitch McConnell on X: “Joe Kent testified before the Senate one year ago that Iran and its terror proxies threatened U.S. servicemembers in the Middle East. He said it would be an honor to return to the fight against terrorism, and he pledged to lead with integrity and accountability. The virulent anti-Semitism of his resignation letter makes it clear that Mr. Kent is incapable of upholding these pledges, and those who mistake its baseless and incendiary conspiracies for brave truth-telling are only fooling themselves. Isolationists and anti-Semites have no place in either party, and certainly do not deserve places of trust in our government.”
Former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene on X: “Joe Kent is a GREAT AMERICAN HERO. God bless him and protect him.”
Senator Rand Paul to Semafor on Kent’s resignation: “President Trump has sincere beliefs that he doesn’t want to have more war, doesn’t want to have more troops on the ground, doesn’t want the ‘forever wars.’ Didn’t like the Iraq war. I think these are all sincere beliefs, but I wish there were more Joe Kents around, and less of the people who seem to be influencing foreign policy.”
What Happens Next
It remains unclear how long the reported FBI investigation will last or whether it will result in charges. No court filings have been made public, and the agency has declined to comment on the existence or scope of the probe.
Kent said he intends to keep speaking out against the Iran war.
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