Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Counterterrorism Chief Quits over Iran War
Joe Kent has resigned as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center. In his resignation letter, he stated that his conscience did not allow him to serve in the administration because of the ill-conceived war with Iran, which he claims was caused by Israel. It is interesting to see someone in Washington resign over a matter of principles these days. It is even odder that Mr. Kent has developed principles suddenly. Thus far, he as been a faithful adherent of MAGA.
"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran," Mr. Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, wrote in a letter to Mr. Trump. "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."
Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, "I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security. It's a good thing that he's out because he said Iran was not a threat."
One can almost hear the laugh-track. Allegedly, Mr. Kent was weak on security, so Mr. Trump put him in charge of security. The idiocy and incompetence even in accepting a resignation is appalling and ridiculous.
The New York Times observed:
Mr. Kent is not an ordinary war critic. He has long had a penchant for conspiracy theories, suggesting without evidence that F.B.I. agents could have been responsible for orchestrating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. He has dismissed allegations that Russia manipulated the 2016 election, saying that such accusations were part of the "Russia Hoax."
Mr. Kent was also accused of pressuring analysts to change their findings on a Venezuelan prison gang to match the Trump administration's views.
He does have supporters in the fascist media. Tucker Carlson, who knows little about war and security, stated, "Joe is the bravest man I know, and he can't be dismissed as a nut. He’s leaving a job that gave him access to highest-level relevant intelligence. The neocons will now try to destroy him for that. He understands that and did it anyway."
Truth is Mr. Kent is a nut and is easily dismissed as a non-serious person. However, he represents a large wedge of unserious people in the MAGA world. These are the isolationists who believe no war should be fought unless the US is attacked. Mr. Trump promised them no more foreever wars in the Middle East, and this is day 18 of his war with Iran.
Former MAGA poster child, Marjorie Taylor Greene said on "The Situation Room" on CNN, "This [the war] is absolutely absurd, and it's 100% a betrayal to what MAGA was supposed to be when we voted in 2024.And it's turned into some some perverted, deranged version of MAGA now that nobody wants."
How bad is the split? At the moment, it is a tempest in a teapot. As the war drags on, and it will, the reluctance of the isolationists to support the fighting will increase. This is the issue that is going to split the coalition Mr. Trump built, and the unity of his supporters probably will not survive his term.
If Mr. Trump were to declare victory and stop the bombing today, there is a chance that he could patch things up. He is not going to do that because he is too invested in military victories for narcissistic reasons.
As for Mr. Kent, one can foresee a lucrative podcast future for him. Like all MAGAts, he will benefit from the way the grifter-in-chief has reduced public office to a revenue stream of corruption.
The decline under the Trump administration continues to accelerate.
© Copyright 2026 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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