Before Donald Trump’s top spy chief submitted his stunning resignation over the Iran war, he had secretly confided his plans to his closest political ally, JD Vance.
Joe Kent quit as Trump’s director of the National Counterterrorism center on Tuesday in protest over the Iran war, accusing Israel of pressuring US into a conflict he says was built on lies.
He further claimed Trump made the decision to strike Iran ‘due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,’ adding: ‘I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war.’
Kent accused the President of reneging on the non-interventionist principles he campaigned on.
Kent, a close political ally of Vance and Tulsi Gabbard, presented his resignation letter to the Vice President 24 hours before dramatically stepping down from the administration.
Gabbard was also present during Kent’s in-person resignation to Vance, according to the Washington Post.
It is unclear if Vance warned other members of the administration about Kent’s plan to discredit Trump’s war during his resignation.
‘The VP encouraged him to speak to White House chief of staff and [President Donald Trump] before making any final decisions,’ said a White House official. ‘The VP encouraged him to be respectful to POTUS.’
The Daily Mail has contacted the Vice President’s office for comment.
Kent, who deployed to combat 11 times and lost his wife Shannon in what he calls a war manufactured by Israel, is closely aligned with the populist ‘America First’ wing of the Trump administration, including Gabbard and Vance, who have both warned against new Middle East entanglements.
His resignation lays bare a widening split inside Trumpworld. Kent accused high-ranking Israeli officials and members of the American media of running a ‘misinformation campaign’ to deceive the President into believing Iran posed an imminent threat, drawing a direct parallel to the lead-up to the Iraq war.
The divide pits the Gabbard-Vance non-interventionist faction against hawkish Republicans who back US support for Israel and a harder line on Tehran.
