US counterterrorism chief resigns: "Iran posed no imminent threat"

WashingtonThe third week of the war against Iran has arrived with the resignation of Joe Kent, head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center. This is the first public resignation within the administration due to disagreement over the conflict instigated by Donald Trump. "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel through its American lobby," Kent wrote in a statement published Tuesday on social media. The official explained that he cannot "have a clear conscience" while remaining in the government that initiated the military campaign. Kent denounces Israeli pressure and influence for causing Trump to break his campaign promises, such as not involving the country in any other foreign conflict, and criticizes him for abandoning his America First agenda. "Earlier in this administration, senior Israeli officials and influential members of the American media conducted a disinformation campaign to undermine the America First platform and stir up pro-war sentiment to encourage war against Iran," Kent argues.

The officer offers his own take on the historic proclamation of "Death to bad government, long live the king," and doesn't blame Trump for the decision to start the war, but rather those around him. Kent, addressing the president directly, warns him that his inner circle has created an "echo chamber" that influenced him to make the decision. The former head of counterterrorism is known for his connections to the American far right, and his arguments should be taken with a grain of salt, especially regarding the accusations against Israel. While it's true that AIPAC wields power within American politics, and that Benjamin Netanyahu has been working to drag the United States into the war against Iran, the ultimate decision has always rested with Trump.

Close to white supremacy

At the time, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Western States Center (WSC) They asked the Senate not to ratify Kent as director of counterterrorism for his connections to the far right and white supremacy. Both organizations, which monitor extremist movements in the US, warned that Kent "has embraced discredited anti-government conspiracy theories" and emphasized his Islamophobic stances and their sympathy for anti-SemitismIn an interview with thestreamer Greyson Arnold, Kent asserted that Hitler was "a complicated historical figure who is misunderstood by many."

In his resignation letter, Kent uses rhetoric that aligns with the antisemitic positions of a segment of the American far right. Thus, the officer tells the president that "this echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran was an imminent threat [...]. This was a lie, and it is the same tactic the Israelis used to drag us into the disastrous war of the thousands of Iraqs, of our women of Iraq, of the thousands of nastros of Iraq. We cannot repeat the mistake."

"I cannot support sending people to fight and die in a war that benefits Americans in no way and does not justify the cost in American lives," he states. He adds, "I implore you to reflect on what we are doing in Iran and for whom we are doing it." Kent's withdrawal comes as at least 8 US soldiers have been killed and some 200 wounded in the conflict

Trump responds with attacks

Kent is not the only member of the Trump administration with ties to white supremacy: Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is also known to have such connections. Thus, despite the biased arguments, the public defection from the war crystallizes the cracks in Trumpism in a new arena: the White House. Until now, the few critical voices against Trump came from Congress: Marjorie Taylor Greene—who already resigned her seat after clashing with Trump over the Epstein case—and Representative Thomas Massie. Within the Trump administration, silence has been the general rule, as on so many other occasions when the president has contradicted his campaign promises. Figures like Vice President JD Vance, known for his isolationism, have maintained a low profile since the conflict began. During his public debut at the Republican convention, Vance, who served asmarinein IraqHe disavowed Bush and called that war "wrong."

Trump's reaction was swift, and as he has done on other occasions, he showed his contempt for internal criticism. Speaking to reporters, the president said it was "good" that Kent resigned because, nevertheless, "he was very weak on security."