Former Terror Chief: Blocked from Warning Trump About Iran Strike Concerns

Joe Kent, who stepped down from his counterterrorism role this week, claims senior officials with reservations about Iran military action were prevented from briefing President Trump. Kent alleges the president relied on a narrow group of advisers and that Israel pressured the U.S. into the February strikes.

WASHINGTON — A former counterterrorism chief who stepped down this week revealed Wednesday that he and other high-ranking officials who had reservations about military action against Iran were blocked from briefing President Donald Trump on their concerns.

During an interview on Tucker Carlson’s program, Joe Kent explained that the president depended on a limited group of advisers when deciding to launch strikes against Iran. Kent alleged that Israel pressured Trump into action, even though he maintains there was no proof Iran presented an immediate danger to the United States.

“A good deal of key decision makers were not allowed to come and express their opinion to the president,” Kent explained to the conservative host. “There wasn’t a robust debate.”

Kent’s revelations provide a rare look inside Trump’s choice to attack Iran on February 28 and highlight how the conflict might split his political supporters. The statements also indicate there was internal administration opposition to the strikes.

In his role leading the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent oversaw an organization responsible for identifying and assessing terrorist dangers. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard supervised his work, and she stated Wednesday that determining Iran’s threat level was Trump’s sole responsibility.

Gabbard, a Hawaii veteran and former representative, has previously opposed discussions of Iran military action. She hasn’t publicly shared her views on the current strikes, and her spokesperson won’t answer media inquiries.

When Carlson pressed Kent about who prevented his Trump access, Kent wouldn’t identify specific individuals.

Kent stated that intelligence reports showed no evidence of Iranian nuclear weapons development, and he believes Israel forced American action by threatening to strike first, which could have endangered U.S. regional interests. He said both Israeli leaders and American media figures helped build the case that Iran was dangerous.

“The Israelis drove the decision to take this action,” Kent told Carlson. He referenced statements from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson indicating that Israeli plans motivated U.S. action.

Kent, who has past ties to right-wing extremist groups, claimed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders directly lobbied Trump, frequently sharing information American officials couldn’t verify. “When we would hear what they were saying, it didn’t reflect intelligence channels,” Kent explained. His assertion that an “Israeli lobby” influenced Trump’s war decision has faced backlash from Jewish organizations and others calling it antisemitic.

Kent chose to make his first public statements since resigning on Carlson’s show, who has also been criticized for allegedly antisemitic comments.

Trump has given varying explanations for the strikes and has disputed claims that Israel forced American involvement. Tuesday, he dismissed Kent’s war criticism and said he always considered Kent “weak on security,” adding that if administration members didn’t view Iran as threatening, “we don’t want those people.”

“They’re not smart people, or they’re not savvy people,” Trump stated. “Iran was a tremendous threat.”

The White House hasn’t yet responded to questions regarding Kent’s television appearance.

Kent served as a Green Beret through 11 combat deployments before leaving to work for the CIA. He also experienced personal loss: His wife, a Navy cryptologist, died in a 2019 Syrian suicide bombing, leaving him with two young sons. The 45-year-old Kent has since remarried.

Kent explained to Carlson that he chose to resign when it became clear his objections would be dismissed.

“I know this path that we’re on, it doesn’t work,” Kent said, concluding: “I can’t be a part of this in good conscience.”