The FBI is investigating former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent over allegations that he improperly shared classified information, a source familiar with the investigation told The Daily Wire.
Kent resigned Tuesday in protest of the ongoing war against Iran’s Islamic regime, arguing in his resignation letter that the regime “posed no imminent threat to our nation. He also accused President Trump of initiating the conflict due to “pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
Semafor, which first reported the story, confirmed with four sources that the leaking probe was already underway prior to Kent’s departure and has been ongoing for months. One source described the investigation as long-running, rather than a response to his resignation.
Following his departure, people in Trump’s orbit accused him of leaking, with one calling him a “crazed egomaniac.”
“Joe Kent is a crazed egomaniac who was often at the center of national security leaks, while rarely (never?) producing any actual work,” said Taylor Budowich, the former deputy White House chief of staff. “He spent all of his time working to subvert the chain of command and undermine the President of the United States.”
“This isn’t some principled resignation—he just wanted to make a splash before getting canned. What a loser.”
President Trump pushed back on Kent’s claim, calling his departure “a good thing.”
“When I read his statement, I realized that it’s a good thing that he’s out because he said that Iran was not a threat,” Trump said. “Iran was a tremendous threat.”
He added, “I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security.”
In a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe directly contradicted Kent.
“I think Iran has been a constant threat to the United States for an extended period of time and posed an immediate threat,” he said.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment, and the FBI declined to comment.
