Joe Kent, Republican congressional candidate in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, speaks at the “Justice for J6” rally near the United States Capitol. (Photo credit: Ben Von Klemperer / Shutterstock)
President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would appoint a controversial failed congressional candidate to head up a key counterterrorism office.
"It is my pleasure to nominate Joe Kent as the Director of the National Counter Terrorism Center," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "As a Soldier, Green Beret, and CIA Officer, Joe has hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire adult life. Above all, Joe knows the terrible cost of terrorism, losing his wonderful wife, Shannon, a Great American Hero, who was killed in the fight against ISIS. Joe continues to honor her legacy by staying in the fight. Joe will help us keep America safe by eradicating all terrorism, from the jihadists around the World, to the cartels in our backyard."
Trump was reportedly considering Kent for NCC, which investigates terrorist threats both domestic and international, before he was even sworn in as president.
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Kent lost multiple elections for Washington's 4th Congressional District — a traditionally Republican-leaning district — amid revelations that he associates with white nationalist figures.
For instance, he sat for an interview with Greyson Arnold, an avowed Nazi sympathizer who has bemoaned “Jewish led colored hordes of the Earth," and he did a podcast with Nick Fuentes, the leader of the white supremacist "Groyper" movement, during which they mused on the "ideal ratio" of non-white or non-Christian people in the United States.
This comes amid reports that Trump has also given a high-profile State Department diplomatic role to Darren Beattie, a former Trump speechwriter who was fired after it was revealed he spoke at a white nationalist conference.