Joe Kent Reportedly Privately Resigned to JD Vance Before Public Attack On Iran War

AP Photo/Jenny Kane

Joe Kent reportedly presented his resignation letter to Vice President JD Vance on Monday, one day before he publicly quit his role as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center because he disagreed with the U.S. going to war against Iran.

Washington Post national security reporter John Hudson had the scoop on Tuesday afternoon about Kent resigning in person to the vice president. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was also at the meeting with Kent and Vance, he reported.

“The VP encouraged him to speak to White House chief of staff and [President Donald Trump] before making any final decisions,” a White House official told Hudson. “The VP encouraged him to be respectful to POTUS.”

Hudson added in a follow-up post on X that Vance supports the president’s reasoning for Operation Epic Fury.

“The Iranian regime’s nuclear ambitions unquestionably endangered the U.S. and President Trump’s leadership is making our country stronger and safer,” a Vance spokesperson told him. 

That news comes a few hours after Kent quit over the war, which he said was clearly started “due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”

“I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for. The time for bold action is now,” Kent said to Trump in his resignation letter. “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.”

Soon after, Trump ripped Kent — whom he nominated for the position last year — while speaking to reporters at the White House. The president called Kent “weak” and said it’s a “good thing that he’s out.”

Trump has pushed back on similar claims from Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly that Israel pushed the U.S. into the war. He scoffed when ABC’s Rachel Scott asked him earlier this month if Israel “forced” the U.S. to strike Iran, saying “if anything, I might’ve forced Israel’s hand.”

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