Various U.S. media outlets reported on Wednesday night that the FBI is conducting an investigation into Joe Kent, the former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center who resigned in protest against the Iran war. The reason, according to various administration sources, would be possible "leaks," although it is unclear whether the FBI's decision was made before or after the resignation and the public letter to the citizens.
Over the past year, both the FBI and the Department of Justice have opened various investigations into critics, enemies, and even former members of the Trump administrations. However, Kent is the first high-ranking official in this second term to resign, and in a very abrupt manner. Not only with an explosive denunciation letter, stating that he could not "in good conscience, support the war being waged in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is evident that we initiated this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful U.S. lobby." But also by participating on Wednesday in Tucker Carlson's show, one of the prominent figures in the MAGA world recently fallen out of favor with Trump precisely due to his strong opinions and lobbying against intervention in Iran and the role of Israel in U.S. politics.
In the program, Kent reiterated what he stated in the letter. That he has always been a supporter of Trump, that he supports most of his policies and ideas, and fully endorses what he did in his first term. However, the interventionism and bellicosity of this second term clash with the promises of focusing on "America first." He blamed a clique that poisons the leader and prevents voices like his, critical of intervention and advocating that there were no threats, from being heard.
Kent, a former military man who unsuccessfully ran for Congress twice (ironically, one of his main supporters at the time was the current FBI Director, Kash Patel), is known not only for his radical positions and support for supremacist groups like the Patriots or the Proud Boys but also for spreading all kinds of conspiracies and falsehoods. From claiming that the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack was orchestrated by the FBI to alleging that the government is using vaccines to control the population.
In the interview with Carlson, both delved into the world of conspiracies. Insinuating, flirting, or echoing theories such as Israel's possible involvement in the attempted assassination of Trump in July 2024 or more specifically, in the death of activist and influencer Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed in September of last year while participating in an event at a university in Utah.
Kent claimed that the last time he saw Kirk was a couple of months before his death, in the West Wing of the White House, and stated that the young conservative activist then said, looking him in the eyes and out loud, "Joe, prevent us from going to war with Iran." "One of President Trump's closest advisors openly advocated for not going to war with Iran and for at least reconsidering our relationship with the Israelis. And then, suddenly, he is publicly assassinated, and we are not allowed to ask any questions about it?" Kent said during the hour and a half conversation.
When asked by Carlson what he meant by not being able to ask questions, Kent stated that "in the investigation in which I participated [along with] the National Counterterrorism Center, we were prevented from continuing to investigate (...) We know — thanks to the public text messages — that Charlie was under great pressure from numerous pro-Israel donors," he insisted.
Kent, an expert in the delicate world of conspiracies and suspicions, did not state anything openly and definitively, but played with probabilities and possibilities, giving the impression that there is a significant thread connecting everything. "The FBI will say they stopped because they wanted... to transfer everything to the authorities in the state of Utah (...) There was more work to be done regarding the possibility of a foreign connection... and we were prevented from carrying it out (...) Then they told us: 'Hey, you have to stop. You can't work on this anymore,'" Kent said. "There was still much to investigate; issues that I really can't delve into (...) There are unanswered questions," he insisted.
It was widely documented in the weeks following the assassination that there was a clash between the FBI, which is now investigating Kent, and his counterterrorism department, with numerous articles explaining how Kent's investigations had "alarmed" the controversial FBI Director, Kash Patel, himself a prominent member of the MAGA world and conspiracies. "Patel and other senior officials believed that Kent was overstepping, encroaching on the FBI's jurisdiction, and potentially interfering with the investigation and prosecution of the suspect, Tyler Robinson," The New York Times wrote at the time.
Within the MAGA world, which is very prone to conspiracies, other prominent figures had previously toyed with the idea that Israel was behind Kirk's assassination. Especially activist Candace Owens, who also claimed that it could have been the French secret services on the orders of Emmanuel Macron. By the way, the French president has sued Owens for stating that his wife is a transgender in court.