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Donald Trump reacts as Joe Kent tells POTUS ‘you hold the cards’ amid US-Iran war
President Donald Trump reacts to the resignation of Joe Kent, who disagreed with the administration's policies on Iran.
President Donald Trump has responded to the resignation of Joe Kent, the director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, who had differing views from the Trump administration concerning the conflict with Iran.
Blasting the outgoing official as “very weak on security”, Trump expressed strong disapproval regarding Kent's resignation, asserting that the departure was justified due to the counterterrorism chief's stance on Iran. “When I read his statement, I realised that it's a good thing that he is out because he said that Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat to every country,” the POTUS told media.
Speaking about the officials who do not believe that an assault on Iran is crucial for the national security of the United States, Trump told media, "We do not want those people."
"They're not smart people, or they're not savvy people," he stated, asserting that "Iran was a tremendous threat."
Kent's resignation letter blasts powerful American lobby
In his resignation letter addressed to Trump, which was shared on X, Kent said that he “cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives.”
Additionally, he stated that Washington initiated the war “due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
The National Counterterrorism Center was established during George W. Bush's administration to coordinate the efforts of law enforcement and intelligence agencies following their inability to avert the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Kent had been serving as its director since July of the previous year, after spending several months as a senior advisor to Gabbard.
He appealed to Trump to reconsider his choice to continue the war and stated that he has the option to either create a new path for the US or drive the country deeper into disorder.
"I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for. The time for bold action is now. You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos. You hold the cards," he stated in his resignation letter.
