Former U.S. Counterterrorism Official Denies Leaking: U.S. Armed Terrorist Organizations, Kirk's Death May Be Related to Foreign Powers

Question: What political motives are behind the FBI investigation into Kent’s leaks?

[Text / Observer Network Wang Yi] Former Director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, recently resigned in opposition to the U.S. escalation against Iran. Soon after, he became embroiled in a leak controversy and was reported to be under investigation by the FBI. On the 20th, Kent denied the allegations that he leaked classified information, stating that the investigation was a distraction to “shift public attention” and to cover up the true intentions of the Trump administration to go to war with Iran.

“If you follow the MAGA (Make America Great Again) camp for a long time, you’ll understand what this means,” Kent said on the “Megan Kelly Show.” “This is just their way of controlling the narrative, making us focus on leaks and investigations, rather than the real reason for the war with Iran.”

Kent sent a resignation letter to President Trump on the 17th. In the letter, he wrote, “Honestly, I cannot support the ongoing war with Iran. Iran does not pose an imminent threat to our country, and it’s clear that this war was initiated due to pressure from Israel and its powerful lobbying forces.” On the 18th, three informed sources told Fox News that the FBI had already begun investigating him for leaks before his resignation.

In response, Kent told Megan Kelly, “I’m not worried about these so-called leak charges because I know I haven’t done anything wrong.” Kelly is a well-known American media figure and a core opinion leader of the MAGA camp. However, after the U.S.-Israel joint attack on Iran, many MAGA figures, including her, publicly expressed strong dissatisfaction with the war.

Kent also denied leaking classified information to the media or others, including prominent MAGA supporter and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Carlson is a close friend of Kent and one of the sharpest critics of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict. After Kent’s resignation, Carlson publicly supported him in an interview, saying, “Joe is the bravest person I know. He’s not crazy. He gave up a job that gave him access to top-level intelligence. The new conservatives are now trying to destroy him because of it. He understands that, but he did it anyway.”

In his latest program, Kent hinted that he became a target of investigation because he openly expressed dissenting opinions. “I do worry because we’ve all seen how the FBI and the entire government machinery pressure those who speak out,” he said.

Kent stated that he was unaware of the FBI investigating him before his resignation. “If there was an investigation, they should have officially notified me, not leaked it to the media,” he said.

“This makes me angry, but I expected it,” he added. “I know their tricks well. I am very confident in what I am doing. My mission is to try to stop this war as much as possible. Everything else, to me, is just a ‘side story.’ I just want to focus on that.”

Kent, 45, enlisted at 17, then joined the U.S. Army and later served in the Army Special Forces. His wife, Shannon Kent, was a cryptologic technician in the U.S. Navy and was killed in 2019 in a suicide bombing carried out by ISIS in northern Syria.

These experiences led Kent to see the true nature of war, which he believes is “at the cost of American soldiers’ lives,” while those “profiting and pursuing personal gain on the other side of the conflict” benefit from it.

Kent has also been keen on conspiracy theories. In another interview aired on the 21st, he claimed that the U.S. “strategically armed proxies like al-Qaeda and ISIS,” to serve broader U.S. geopolitical interests in the Middle East, including Israel.

On the “Megan Kelly Show,” Kent also discussed the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in 2025. Previously, in an interview with Carlson, Kent revealed that Kirk had begged him to do everything possible to prevent the Trump administration from getting involved in Middle East wars. Kent believes that the sudden assassination of someone openly advocating against war with Iran is a “point that needs investigation.”

In the latest program, Kent expressed suspicion that the assassination of Kirk involved “the government” or “foreign” actors. “I think there are other leads that need to be thoroughly investigated,” he said. “This is not over.”

He also mentioned that many people predicted Kirk would die that day, which he finds hard to believe.

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