Two-time Republican Washington Third Congressional District candidate Joe Kent on Tuesday announced his resignation as Trump-appointed director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, citing opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.
In a letter addressed to President Donald Trump, Kent said his resignation was effective immediately and rooted in his inability to support the current military operations in Iran. Kent, a Special Forces veteran and Gold Star husband who lost his wife to combat, also addressed claims that Trump was pressured by Israel to get involved in the conflict in his resignation letter.
“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 said in his statement, which was posted on social media.
Kent, from Yacolt, previously ran against U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez twice as a Republican, losing by narrow margins each time even as Trump won the district. Kent was confirmed by the U.S. Senate for his position in a 52-44 vote last July to take charge of the agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats.
In his resignation letter, Kent pointed to influence from Israel and pro-war voices in the United States as factors that contributed to Trump’s decision to engage in the conflict in Iran. Kent added that he supported the values and foreign policies that Trump campaigned on in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
However, Kent stated it all changed in June 2025.
“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,” Kent stated, directing the words at Trump. “In your first administration, you understood better than any modern President how to decisively apply military power without getting us drawn into never-ending wars. You demonstrated this by killing Qasam Solamani and by defeating ISIS.”
Kent referenced his own service history and personal loss in explaining his opposition to the war.
“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,” Kent stated, “nor justifies the cost of American lives.”
The resignation comes amid ongoing debate in Washington, D.C., over U.S. involvement in the Middle East and the scope of military operations in Iran. Lawmakers and policy analysts remain divided on the necessity and long-term implications of the conflict.
U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Florida, took to CNN on Tuesday, March 17, to say, “I don’t care what Joe Kent says, right?”
“Democrats opposed Joe Kent getting that position,” Moskowitz said during an appearance on “The Situation Room” on CNN. CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer interrupted, saying that Kent was confirmed by the Senate. “He may have been confirmed by the Senate, he wasn’t confirmed by Democrats. He was confirmed by Republicans, OK.”
According to floridapolitics.com, AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) — D.C.’s most powerful pro-Israel lobby — endorsed Moskowitz’s re-election in 2024.
“This AIPAC PAC endorsement is in recognition of your support for the pro-Israel agenda on Capitol Hill and the actions you have taken to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship,” wrote AIPAC Director Marilyn Rosenthal in a letter to the Congressman in 2024, reported by Florida Politics.
Moskowitz continued to explain why Kent should not be the “messenger.”
“This is a guy who went on Nazi sympathiser podcasts,” Moskowitz said on CNN. “You know, this is someone who espouses pro-Kremlin talking points, thinks that Putin had some justification to go into Ukraine. You know, he said Anthony Fauci should be charged with murder. He’s not exactly the messenger here that I think we should be putting up even if you agree with some of his points in the letter.”
In closing his letter, Kent urged President Trump to reconsider the current course of action and suggested that a shift in strategy could alter the nation’s trajectory.
“I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for,” Kent stated. “The time for bold action is now. 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.”
As of 9 a.m., the White House had no immediate statement in response to Kent’s resignation.
