Joe Kent’s declaration raises key questions on war

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 25, 2026

As an unlikely symbol for debate surrounding the United States’ attacks on Iran, Joe Kent raises serious questions about our nation’s head-first dive into another war in the Middle East.

Kent, who is well-known in this region following two failed bids for Congress, resigned Tuesday as director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center. The combat veteran posted on social media: “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.”

Kent, whose wife was killed in a 2019 suicide bombing in Syria, added: “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.”

Suggesting that the United States is a puppet of Israel is absurd finger-pointing tinged with antisemitism. But Kent’s declaration has received significant national attention because he has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. He has falsely claimed that rioters charged with crimes for attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were political prisoners; has, at times, claimed that the 2020 presidential election was stolen; and has embraced a platform echoing Trump’s “America First” message.

As Talking Points Memo summarized, “Kent has a long and colorful history of ties to prominent Nazi sympathizers and is someone who has developed a public persona espousing far-right, extremist views.”

That extremism has been rejected by voters in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, who twice have sent Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez to Congress rather than Kent. But, as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, posted following the resignation, “Kent and I don’t agree on much, but he is right.”

That reflects a growing divide among Trump supporters, along with the president’s abdication of America First policies. The administration has grossly failed to provide clear reasoning for extensive bombing of Iran and has presented conflicting justifications that change as often as the weather.

In the 19 days since the attack was launched, Trump has asked allies for help with the war but has said the United States does not need any help; has said the war is “very complete, pretty much” but has added that it could be lengthy and has not ruled out a military draft; and has listed Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons as motivation for the bombings — months after claiming that the nation’s nuclear capabilities had been “obliterated” by a previous airstrike.

With convoluted justifications for attacking Iran, Trump has provided fodder for his critics and confusion for his supporters. He also has demonstrated that the war was ill-conceived, with little foresight for what comes next and little strategy for how it ends.

In the wake of Kent’s resignation, Trump employed his typical strategy of personal attack rather than thoughtful reflection. “I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security,” Trump told reporters, ignoring the fact that the president hired Kent for an important security position.

All of which leaves Trump with gaping holes in his reasoning for a war against Iran and his administration’s execution of it — and makes Joe Kent an unexpected truthsayer.