Joe Kent Under Investigation Over Alleged Classified Leak as He Accuses White House of Silencing Dissent.
He quit over the Iran war. Now the FBI is reportedly investigating him.
The resignation of Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, has taken a new turn after reports that he is under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for an alleged leak of classified information.
According to Semafor and CBS News, the inquiry predates Kent’s departure Tuesday from the post where he oversaw analysis of terrorist threats. The FBI declined to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.
Kent, who became the first senior administration official to resign in protest over the war with Iran, gave his first interview since stepping down during an appearance on Tucker Carlson’s podcast. He argued that dissenting voices were sidelined in the lead-up to U.S. airstrikes on Iran launched on Feb. 28.
“A good deal of key decision makers were not allowed to come and express their opinion to the president,” Kent said, describing what he characterized as a lack of “robust debate.”
While careful not to directly criticize Donald Trump, Kent asserted there was no intelligence indicating Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States. He alleged that Israeli officials had heavily influenced the push for military action, claims that have drawn criticism for invoking sensitive political narratives.
Kent said he resigned because his objections were being ignored. “I know this path that we’re on, it doesn’t work,” he said. “I can’t be a part of this in good conscience.”
The White House responded sharply to his resignation, with Trump dismissing him as “weak on security” and insisting Iran represented a “tremendous threat.” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said decisions about Iran ultimately rest with the president.
Kent, a former Green Beret with multiple combat deployments, lost his wife in a 2019 suicide bombing in Syria before later entering politics and then returning to government service. His tenure at the counterterrorism center had already drawn scrutiny due to his past political associations and controversial statements.
If confirmed, the FBI investigation would add legal uncertainty to an already politically charged resignation — one that highlights deep internal divisions over the war with Iran and the decision-making process behind it.
