Reports That Joe Kent Was Under FBI Probe May Provide New Motive for His Surprise Resignation

The resignation of a former National Counterterrorism Center director, Joe Kent, is being cast in a new light as reports emerge that he has spent months under FBI investigation on allegations of leaking classified information.Mr. Kent sent shockwaves across Washington this week when he stepped down from his post in protest over America’s war with Iran, though several outlets reported on Thursday that departure was preceded by a federal probe.Rumors of Mr. Kent’s alleged loose lips surfaced immediately after his resignation on Tuesday, with administration officials saying he had been a “known leaker” who was iced out of presidential briefings months before he left. One source told Axios that Mr. Kent is suspected of passing intelligence to a conservative podcaster and prominent skeptic of the Iran war, Tucker Carlson. The investigation reframes the pressures Mr. Kent may have been facing before he resigned. “He’s going to try to say this was in retaliation for his resignation,” a source familiar with the investigation told Axios. “But it’s the other way around: He quit because he’s under investigation and he knew it.”Mr. Kent made himself a figurehead of opposition to the war when he cited the conflict as the reason for his immediate resignation. In a letter posted to X, Mr. Kent argued that Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation” and accused “Israel and its powerful American lobby” of pressuring the United States into the conflict.The letter trafficked in conspiracy theories about Israeli control of American foreign policy, including the claim that the Jewish state and “influential members of the American media” had “deceived” America into invading Iraq. Mr. Kent also lamented that his late wife — killed in 2019 by a suicide bomber while deployed in Syria with the National Security Agency — had lost her life to “a war manufactured by Israel.”Mr. Kent, a retired Green Beret, was confirmed to the counterterrorism post in July 2025. A former close adviser to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, he is the most senior Trump administration official to resign over the war in Iran.Top intelligence officials rejected Mr. Kent’s claims while testifying under oath before the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday. Both Ms. Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe answered “no” when asked whether Israel had “forced the US’s hand and made us take action, as some have claimed.”Mr. Ratcliffe also reaffirmed his view that Iran posed a grave danger to America. When asked by Representative Pat Fallon whether the threat rose to that level, Mr. Ratcliffe replied: “Nuclear weapons are a grave threat in the hands of religious ideologues.”Mr. Kent has drawn condemnation from Democrats and Republicans alike who accuse him of trafficking in antisemitic conspiracy theories and condemn him for abandoning his post in wartime.At the same time, Mr. Kent has won praise from corners of the conservative coalition that disapprove of America’s alliance with Israel and oppose the military operation in Iran. He was quickly embraced by Mr. Carlson — one of the leading voices of the anti-Israel right — who hosted him on his podcast Wednesday night.The appearance shed light on Mr. Kent’s views on the Iranian regime, including his contention that the assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had not been interested in developing a nuclear weapon. Despite evidence to the contrary, Mr. Kent claimed that Khamenei had been “moderating” Iran’s nuclear program and “preventing them from getting a nuclear weapon.”Mr. Kent also endorsed unfounded theories about the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, saying that “unanswered questions” remain about the shooting and that Mr. Kirk was “under a lot of pressure from a lot of pro-Israel donors.” Conspiracy theorist Candace Owens has suggested that Israel or Jewish people were somehow responsible for Mr. Kirk’s death.

Reports That Joe Kent Was Under FBI Probe May Provide New Motive for His Surprise Resignation

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