Trump rejects counterterrorism official’s Iran claims

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A Trump counterterrorism official resigns over the Iran war:

AP Photos | Alex Brandon and Jenny Kane

Joe Kent, a top counterterrorism official in the Trump administration, has resigned in protest of the war in Iran. He argues that Iran was not a threat to the U.S.

Kent’s reasoning: “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. 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 posted on social media.

🔎 Read Kent’s letter of resignation to Trump

What to know about Kent: Kent is a top aide to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and serves as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center. He’s a former Green Beret and served in the Army for two decades. He was previously Gabbard’s chief of staff.

Awkward timing: Gabbard is set to testify on Capitol Hill on Wednesday and Thursday for annual hearings about global threats.

💡 Keep in mind: Kent appears to be the first Trump administration official to resign over the war.

Trump rejected Kent’s assessments: “I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security, very weak,” the president told reporters at the White House. “When I read his statement, I realized it’s a good thing that he’s out, because he said Iran is not a threat. … Every country realized what a threat Iran was.”

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) says Kent’s assessment is ‘clearly wrong’: “There was clearly an imminent threat that Iran was very close to the enrichment of nuclear capability, and they were building missiles at a pace that no one in the region could keep up with,” Johnson told reporters. 

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) says ‘good riddance’: “Good riddance. Iran has murdered more than a thousand Americans. Their EFP land mines were the deadliest in Iraq. Anti-Semitism is an evil I detest, and we surely don’t want it in our government,” Bacon posted online.

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