Ex-US official Kent sharply criticizes Trump’s policies

After resignation

Trump’s ex-secret service chief steps up

Former counterterrorism chief Joe Kent makes serious allegations against US President Donald Trump and his Iran policy. Now he explains himself.

Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned this week amid concerns about the war on Iran. On Wednesday, he said he and other senior officials had not had the opportunity to express their doubts about the air strikes against Iran to US President Donald Trump.

In the right-wing influencer Tucker Carlson’s podcast, Kent explained that the president relied on a small circle of advisors when deciding to attack Iran. He also claimed that Israel had pressured Trump to take this step – even though there was no evidence that Iran posed an immediate threat to the US. “A large portion of the key decision-makers were not allowed to come to the president and express their opinions,” Kent told the commentator. “There was no serious debate.”

As head of the US National Counterterrorism Center, Kent was responsible for analyzing and detecting terrorist threats. His work was under the supervision of U.S. intelligence coordinator Tulsi Gabbard, who on Wednesday presented a U.S. intelligence analysis that said the nuclear enrichment program destroyed by U.S.-Israeli air strikes had not been rebuilt since last June.

Kent reiterated on the podcast with Carlson that there was no intelligence indicating that Iran was working on developing nuclear weapons. He believes that Israel has pushed the US to act by announcing that it would take action itself if necessary – which could jeopardize US interests in the region. “The Israelis played a key role in driving the decision to take this step,” said Kent. He referred to statements by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson, which suggested that Israel’s plans had prompted the US to intervene.

Kent decided to resign when it became clear that his concerns were being ignored and that he “couldn’t reconcile with his conscience” continuing to be part of it. “I know this path we’re on isn’t working,” he said in the two-hour podcast.

Kent, who has had ties to far-right circles in the past, also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli government officials had personally influenced Trump – often with information that US authorities could not confirm. “If we heard what they said, it didn’t match what we were getting from our intelligence channels,” Kent said. His claim that an “Israeli lobby” was behind Trump’s decision to start the war drew criticism from Jewish organizations and others who see it as anti-Semitic statements. Carlson has also been criticized in the past for anti-Semitic rhetoric.