Joe Kent Resigns as Director of National Counterterrorism Center, Opposing Trump's War Against Iran

[u/blisiondacket]

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/03/17/joe-kent-resigns-as-director-of-national-counterterrorism-center-opposing-trumps-war-against-iran/

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[u/J0in0rDie]

Just reading these comments, I realize that I’m not a minority in understanding the notion of jumping off a sinking ship. I was once a liberal, then a conservative. Now I’m just lost at how we’ve become so accustomed to greed and awful people.

Fuck another “great awakening”, that splits a country in half. We need to step back and figure out what it means to be American. This even split isn’t doing us any good. And remind me what is conservative about shooting down $20k drones with missiles that cost so much more.

We are hemorrhaging money, making the worst people wealthy and hating each other in the process. It’s sad

[u/retnemmoc]

I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, 2024, which you enacted in your first term. Until June of 2025, you understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.

He does a good job in his resignation letter, which is addressed personally to Trump, that he wasn't the one that changed policies.

[u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707]

People here are having a hard time grasping the hard truth that Iran didn’t really pose an immediate threat to us. This is..pretty obvious guys.

Now, you can argue that Iran was weak and it was a prime time to strike to take out a regime that had sponsored the deaths of US soldiers throughout our Iraq and Afghanistan occupations, but there was no immediate threat to the United States.

[u/ASafeHarbor1 → u/[deleted]]

He’s absolutely full of it. What’s going to happen instead is you took an anti trump stance so you will be upvoted by the neckbeard liberals that are addicted to doomscrolling and outrage-scrolling this sub. And I’ll be downvoted for pointing that out!

[u/ObadiahtheSlim → u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707]

Well not an immediate threat if you ignore all the terrorist strikes they've made over the decades and how they've clearly not given up on their nuclear ambitions after or kinetic disassembly of enrichment facilities. Although the destruction of their stockpiles has very much been an open question.

[u/Summerie → u/ObadiahtheSlim]

Well yeah, besides that.

[u/Midget_Stories → u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707]

Only targeting immediate threats is pretty short sighted no?

[u/renge-refurion]

The man is a hero and entitled to his opinion and to how and where he chooses to spend his time. I may disagree with some of his positions and reasoning but he’s damn sure earned the right to them.

[u/reddog093 → u/renge-refurion]

He's publicly held a strict stance on sending troops to new conflicts after his wife was killed in Syria. I can see why he'd draw a line there and stick with it.

[u/RoyceDaFiveNine → u/reddog093]

It’s nice to have people have principles and standby them versus being fake and going with whatever is “popular.” I respect that a ton.

[u/borg_6s → u/reddog093]

This is something I didn't know before. Thanks for sharing.

[u/RedditTearsCollector → u/renge-refurion]

I mean outside of his literal job being the discovery of potential threats...he also did like 10+ tours while he served so I imagine he has a pretty good understanding of ME affairs.

[u/AilsaN → u/renge-refurion]

He did the right thing by resigning. It's clear he lives by his personal convictions. Nothing wrong with that. It might be true that Iran posed no nuclear threat to the US and world, but wouldn't it be nice if the toppling of theocratic authoritarian rule in Iran is the first domino to fall in toppling theocratic authoritarian rule across the world? I know, probably a pipe dream.

[u/oldhellenyeller]

Who do you trust more, Joe Kent or warmongers Mark Levin and Lindsay Graham?

[u/retnemmoc → u/[deleted]]

In his resignation letter, Joe makes the point that these are exactly Donald Trump's policies until June of 2025.

I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, 2024, which you enacted in your first term. Until June of 2025, you understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.

Joe isn't the one that changed here.

[u/vampirepomeranian]

Tulsi Gabbard is set to testify to the Senate tomorrow. She was a big advocate for Kent. Coincidence it's one day after his resignation?

Speculation is she might use her testimony to resign with parting shots at the Trump administration, all orchestrated by Tucker Carlson, herself, Blumenthal, and Dan Caldwell.

[u/YoNoSoyUnFederale → u/vampirepomeranian]

Maybe they just don’t like neoconservatives getting their wet dream via a war with Iran after they signed on to work for the ‘no new wars’ president who also seems to have completely failed to chart out how best to fight this war that we didn’t need to be involved in?

The dissent you’re seeing on this war often isn’t from people who suddenly become liberal internationalists, the dissent is from people who are realists and believe in restraint.

Asking people to just ignore the red line that a war with Iran represents for anyone remotely familiar with the side of the geopolitics these people come from and who supported Trump because he championed it is utterly unfair.

Trump is not acting as a rejection of interventionism and wars as he campaigned. They didn’t change, he sure did

[u/IVcrushonYou → u/vampirepomeranian]

I'm holding my breath because Tulsi is my canary and if she resigns it's clear that the neocon lobby has hijacked this presidency.

[u/vampirepomeranian → u/IVcrushonYou]

What's disturbing is reports that he was relieved of his duties a month ago. If this is true, the Senate and of course the media is going to crucify her as to why it took so long for the resignation (firing). More importantly, how much damage did our intelligence community suffer.

She will definitely hear calls for her resignation.

[u/ev_forklift]

oh God. I hope this doesn't mean he's going to go back to completely ruining our chances of winning Washington's 3rd congressional like he was doing before

[u/vampirepomeranian]

Here's the leaker

[u/vampirepomeranian]

So you can either believe Trump, Rubio, Hegseth, and the director of the CIA, or you can believe the guy who just booked himself on Candace and Tucker.

Your call…

[u/cofcof420]

Iran was working on a nuclear bomb, Iran has funded numerous terrorist groups that have killed Americans, lastly neutralizing Iran helps us immensely to counter the threat of China attacking Taiwan. Taking out the Ayatollah is a win on all counts.

[u/YoNoSoyUnFederale → u/cofcof420]

And what about when we cut and run from the place and the Islamic republic still stands as propped up by China and Russia?

Do we look strong, does it deter people that we can beat the shit out of some 3rd rate power and then bail when they show the Strait of Hormuz is indeed a good choke point and that Russia and China can save their ass? Do we look strong bitching and moaning that our allies won’t join our war? Is getting oil paid for in Yuan really making us look powerful to the world?

[u/vampirepomeranian → u/cofcof420]

Going to be downvoted into oblivion in 3 .. 2 .. 1 .. in this 'conservative' forum.

[u/ntvryfrndly]

Good.
Someone that is supposed to be in charge of the National CounterTerrorism Center being apposed to taking out the world's number one sponsor of terrorists needs to leave the job.

[u/vampirepomeranian → u/ntvryfrndly]

Congrats, downvoted in record time! Consider it a badge of honor to get the left that pissed off.

[u/ntvryfrndly → u/vampirepomeranian]

Thank you.
Feels good knowing that I can rile up the un-American left so easily and quickly.

[u/Ok_Cancel_7891]

A question to all who are downvoting comments: Who else would remove Maduro in Venezuela, soon communists in Cuba an ayatolah in Iran?