Joe Kent Steps Down As Director of National Counterterrorism Center—Classic Hits 100.7 KLOG News

Yacolt resident Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center for the Trump administration, has stepped down from his position due to concerns about U.S. military action in Iran.

Joe Kent announced his resignation this morning, stating, “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, a former Green Beret and CIA officer, branded himself as anti-war when he previously ran unsuccessfully for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District as a Republican in both 2022 and 2024. His first wife, Shannon Kent, was killed in the line of duty in 2019 after a bombing in Syria during U.S. intervention in the Syrian Civil War.

Kent, who was confirmed to the role last July, led the nation’s primary agency for analyzing terrorist threats.

His resignation comes during growing division within the GOP over whether the war is justified.