The abrupt resignation of Donald Trump’s director of the National Counterterrorism Center with a very public rebuttal of the Iran war could lead to more officials fleeing the embattled White House.
Early Tuesday morning, Joe Kent, who worked hand-in-hand with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, dealt a devastating blow to the president’s war narrative that was already being greeted with no small amount of skepticism.
On X, Kent wrote, “After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today. 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.”
Appearing on MS NOW just as the news broke, the New York Times Peter Baker told host Anna Cabrera, Kent’s high-profile departure could signal an exodus.
"Peter, we've seen rumblings of discontent between the president and some of his MAGA base over Iran, but most have stuck with Trump. Is this a sign the bases may be shakier than he may have thought?” Cabrera prompted her guest.
“Well, it would certainly be a warning on that front, and it will be interesting to see if anybody else follows Joe Kent out the door,” Baker replied. “Does this encourage otherswho might have doubts, who might be uncomfortable with what's going on, to speak out or take action themselves? We saw from the very beginning people like Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, a handful of others who say that Trump appealed to them when he first ran because he was going to keep them out of Middle East wars, because he promised no new wars, because he said no regime change.”
“Now, of course, this resignation underlines that there's a part of the base that's deeply uncomfortable with this,” he added. “So we'll see if this encourages others to take the same direction, but it will be seized on by a lot of people in the coalition as an example of what they have been personally thinking. And it will confirm to those who are very critical of Israel and that wing of the MAGA spectrum as well, that their suspicions are correct.”