Former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, has reportedly been under an FBI probe that began months before he announced his resignation.
The investigation was initiated over alleged involvement in classified data leaks, reported Semafor on Wednesday. A senior administration official had previously identified Kent as a “leaker”, leading to his exclusion from intelligence briefings months before his resignation, sources told the publication.
The report of the investigation follows Joe Kent’s resignation as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center on Tuesday. Kent stepped down, citing his disagreement with the ongoing war in Iran and the security stance of President Donald Trump.
In his resignation letter, Kent stated that Iran posed no imminent threat to the nation and suggested that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.
White House did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.
White House Rejects Kent Criticism
On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance, during an event in Auburn Hills, Michigan, addressed Kent’s resignation, saying that while differing opinions are welcome and even valued by Trump, once the president makes a decision, all administration officials must support it and work to ensure its success.
Previously, Trump said he viewed Kent as “weak on security” and welcomed his exit, adding that his claim that Iran was not a threat showed it was better that he was no longer in the administration.
At the same time, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed Kent’s criticism of the Iran strikes as “insulting and laughable,” strongly rejecting his “false” claims.
Kent Joins Tucker Carlson
Kent, meanwhile, sat down for his first interview post-resignation with Tucker Carlson, a right-wing critic of the U.S.-Iran war, and said that dissenting voices were sidelined before U.S. airstrikes on Iran, with no clear intelligence indicating Iran was close to building a nuclear weapon or planning an imminent attack on the U.S., dismissing claims of any immediate threat.
He alleged the decision was heavily influenced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli lobbying rather than established intelligence. However, Kent also stated that the U.S. and Israel have different goals for going to war, and regime change is not what the U.S. is looking at.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by a Benzinga editor.
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