WH rejects fmr Counterterrorism Chief’s ‘False’ and ‘Absurd’ resignation claims amid Iran battle – One America Information Community

[ad_1] <img decoding="async" width="800" height="534" src="https://www.oann.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FOR-WEBSITE-ARTICLES-2026-03-17T164236.495.png" alt="" class="wp-image-765708" srcset="https://www.oann.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FOR-WEBSITE-ARTICLES-2026-03-17T164236.495.png 800w, https://www.oann.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FOR-WEBSITE-ARTICLES-2026-03-17T164236.495-400x267.png 400w, https://www.oann.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FOR-WEBSITE-ARTICLES-2026-03-17T164236.495-768x513.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/> (Background) Director of the Nationwide Counterterrorism Heart Joseph Kent on December 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Picture by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photos) / (R) White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt listens with U.S. President Donald Trump on March 11, 2026. (Picture by Win McNamee/Getty Photos)

OAN Workers Brooke Mallory5:30 PM – Tuesday, March 17, 2026

The Trump administration moved on Tuesday to comprise the slew of press queries following the resignation of Joe Kent, the now-former director of the Nationwide Counterterrorism Heart. He lately stepped down from his place in a public protest whereas citing the continuing U.S.-Israeli navy marketing campaign in opposition to Iran.

In a swift rebuttal, each President Donald Trump and White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed Kent’s allegations — particularly his claims that Iran posed no imminent risk and that the battle was instigated by international strain — as “false,” “insulting,” and “absurd.”

The rift marks essentially the most important inner defection since the USA and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury in late February.

Kent, a former Inexperienced Beret and a once-staunch ally of the president, launched a resignation letter alleging that the administration had been led right into a “lure” by a misinformation marketing campaign orchestrated by Israeli officers and influential media figures. Kent asserted additional that the continuing turmoil serves no American profit and contradicts the “America First” non-interventionist platform that outlined the president’s 2024 marketing campaign.

Following Kent’s abrupt resignation announcement, White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a complete assertion on social media and through press briefings — adopting a tone of sharp indignation.

Leavitt labeled the notion that President Trump was unduly influenced by international entities as “laughable,” asserting that the choice to strike was born solely from “sturdy and compelling proof” that Iran was getting ready a primary strike in opposition to American property.

Leavitt additionally emphasised that the Trump administration’s intelligence was compiled from “many sources and elements,” and that the U.S. Commander-in-Chief acted to preempt an evil regime that has lengthy been the world’s main state sponsor of Islamist terrorism.

Moreover, the press secretary highlighted Trump’s consistency, noting that the president has argued for many years that Iran must not ever possess a nuclear weapon. She described Kent’s resignation not as a principled stand, however as a “theatrical” and performative transfer by an official who was out of step with the realities of nationwide safety.

There are lots of false claims on this letter however let me deal with one particularly: that "Iran posed no imminent risk to our nation." This is identical false declare that Democrats and a few within the liberal media have been repeating time and again. As President Trump has clearly and… https://t.co/AC8M5L8lye

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 17, 2026

President Trump, whereas chatting with reporters throughout a St. Patrick’s Day reception on the White Home, echoed Leavitt’s tone. Whereas he described Kent as a “good man,” the president additionally added that he “at all times thought [Kent] was weak on safety.”

President Trump: "I at all times thought he was a pleasant man, however I at all times thought he was weak on safety, very weak on safety, however after I learn his assertion, I spotted that it is a good factor that he is out as a result of he mentioned that 'Iran was not a risk'."

Watch OAN on Spectrum and… pic.twitter.com/pJn8Kq7W9d

— One America Information (@OANN) March 17, 2026

Trump additionally equally pushed again on the concept that he had been pressured or blackmailed into the battle, suggesting that he could have “compelled” the palms of allies to take a stand in opposition to Tehran.

The president reiterated that the Iranian regime did in actual fact pose a direct and speedy hazard to the USA, rendering Kent’s personal private evaluation of the risk stage inconsequential.

In the meantime, the departure of Kent, who served below Director of Nationwide Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, exemplifies the rising ideological divide throughout the “America First” coalition. Whereas the administration maintains a unified entrance, Kent’s resignation has energized extra reasonable critics who argue that the continuing battle is a departure from the president’s “America First” promise.

Nonetheless, proponents of Operation Epic Fury and U.S. intervention in Iran argue that the administration is taking a vital, proactive stance in opposition to a regime that has lengthy destabilized the Center East and threatened American pursuits.

Contending that “peace via power” is the one language Tehran understands, they've highlighted how previous diplomatic efforts solely allowed the Iranian authorities to advance its nuclear ambitions and broaden its community of regional proxies. From this attitude, the navy actions are utterly vital to forestall a a lot bigger, extra catastrophic future battle by dismantling the IRGC’s capabilities earlier than they'll launch a coordinated assault on U.S. property or allies.

Many on this “camp” dismiss Kent’s criticisms as isolationist, sustaining that an “America First” coverage should embody the safety of worldwide commerce routes and the enforcement of “crimson strains” to keep up American credibility on the world stage.

In response to a authorities supply who reached out to Fox Information, Kent wasn’t even concerned in any of the federal government’s Iran briefings. Nonetheless, his position as the pinnacle of the NCTC — the nation’s hub for analyzing terrorist threats — offers his claims concerning the lack of “imminent risk” a bit extra weight, analysts argue.

Though sure figures throughout the MAGA base have expressed some unease following the announcement, GOP leaders in Congress, comparable to Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), have nonetheless stood by the president, dismissing Kent’s letter as “discredited theories.”

@SpeakerJohnson on resignation of Joe Kent, Director of Nationwide Counterterrorism Heart : "I do not know the place Joe Kent is getting his info, however he wasn't in these briefings clearly…they'd beautiful intelligence that we understood this was a severe second for us." pic.twitter.com/7FDWfyYmwT

— CSPAN (@cspan) March 17, 2026

Senate Democrats, who initially fought Kent’s affirmation, have additionally since utilized his sudden resignation to sharpen their critique of the Trump administration.

They're making an attempt to border Kent’s departure as a “main public admission” of inner instability, claiming that the exit of such an official serves as an indicator that the underlying justification for the navy marketing campaign in opposition to Iran is essentially flawed.

Who Is Joe Kent? What Are His Politics?

Following his 20-year profession as an Military Particular Forces officer, Kent was registered with the Libertarian Celebration from roughly 2012 to 2019, a shift he attributed to his help for Ron Paul’s anti-interventionist international coverage.

In 2019, he modified his affiliation to the Democrat Celebration and remained registered via the 2020 cycle. Throughout this era, Kent solid a vote for Bernie Sanders within the 2020 Democrat major, later claiming that he did so as a result of he considered Sanders because the “best” candidate for Trump to defeat within the basic election.

After launching two unsuccessful congressional bids in Washington’s third District as a Republican in 2022 and 2024, Kent was nominated by President Trump final yr to function the Director of the Nationwide Counterterrorism Heart (NCTC). He was confirmed by the Senate in July 2025 and served in that capability till his resignation on Tuesday.