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| Joe Kent testifying before the House Committee on Homeland Security |
of the National Counterterrorism Center. Mr. Kent resigned his post with the following explanation:
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote in his resignation letter, addressed to President Donald Trump and shared on social media. “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.”
At first glance, one might assume his
credibility on this issue is impeccable - given his high-level position, his
storied service as a Green Beret (during which he lost his wife in a suicide
attack), and his once-strong support for Israel. On that last point, he
previously told AIPAC:
“The United States and Israel share common enemies in the Middle East, from terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah to the totalitarian government of Iran,” adding that he would “bolster the coalition that stands in opposition to Iran” and introduce legislation to “strip the most vile antisemites in Congress from their committee assignments.”
On the surface, Kent’s resignation might seem
like a principled stand against the US war with Iran. In reality, he is little
more than a run-of-the-mill antisemite willing to say whatever is politically
expedient.
Kent has no love for the Jewish state - or
the Jewish people. His pro-Israel remarks to AIPAC came during a failed
congressional run, when he needed their support - back when such backing was
not yet seen as a liability among Democrats, which Kent once was.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) was exactly right in
his reaction:
“Good riddance. Iran has murdered more than a thousand Americans. Their EFP land mines were the deadliest in Iraq. Anti-Semitism is an evil I detest, and we surely don’t want it in our government.”
That someone like Kent managed to rise to
such a high-level government position should not surprise anyone. His military
record and early support for the president helped pave the way. At the same
time, he was known as a conspiracy theorist who associated with far-right white
nationalists, including Nick Fuentes—a right-wing antisemite who has praised
Hitler, saying things like “Hitler is awesome” and “Hitler was right.”
Even setting aside that sordid background,
the explanation Kent gave for his resignation reeks of antisemitic tropes:
“Israel and its powerful American lobby”? That is little more than a thinly veiled version of the classic conspiracy that “the Jews” control the government and want to send Americans to die in a war for Israel...
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