FBI Will Investigate Joe Kent After Bombshell Resignation
Joe Kent, former counter-terrorism chief, resigned accusing Israel and media figures of pushing war, now facing investigation for alleged classified leak.
The FBI has opened an investigation into Joe Kent, a decorated intelligence veteran who abruptly resigned from President Trump's administration this week, accusing Israel and American media figures of orchestrating a disinformation campaign that pushed the U.S. into conflict with Iran.
Kent, who served as the head of the Counter-Terrorism Center, stepped down Tuesday with a bombshell resignation letter claiming Iran posed no immediate threat to the nation. In his public statement, he blamed Trump for launching military operations under what he characterized as "pressure from Israel," according to multiple sources who confirmed the investigation to news outlet Semafor.
The timing raises explosive questions about classified information and institutional loyalty within the Trump administration. Four sources told Semafor that the FBI's inquiry focuses on Kent's alleged unauthorized disclosure of classified material—an investigation that reportedly began months before his dramatic departure.
Kent's 25-year career includes 11 combat deployments as a military officer and decades as a CIA officer, lending him credibility within intelligence circles. In his resignation, he went further than typical protests, accusing "senior Israeli officials and influential American media figures" of mounting a coordinated disinformation push. Kent specifically claimed these actors misled Trump into believing a swift military victory was achievable—a comparison he drew directly to messaging that preceded the Iraq War.
Trump's allies wasted no time condemning Kent. Within hours of his resignation becoming public, administration figures and close associates labeled him a leaker, attempting to preempt his narrative before the story gained wider traction. The swift counterattack underscores how sensitive the administration views both the Iran conflict and leaks of classified information from within its own ranks.
The convergence of Kent's resignation and the FBI investigation now presents a potentially significant crisis for Trump, who has been critical of leakers throughout his political career. Kent's allegations about Israeli pressure and media coordination strike at core tensions within the broader Middle East policy apparatus—tensions that have simmered beneath official statements for weeks. The investigation's outcome could either validate Kent's concerns or be used to discredit him entirely, depending on what investigators uncover about the leaked material and the substance of his claims.