The FBI revealed that Joe Kent, the former director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, is under investigation for his alleged role in improperly sharing classified information, according to reports. The revelation of the FBI investigation came a day after Kent resigned his position in protest of the current joint military operations with Israel against Iran.
The inquiry into Kent’s alleged mishandling of classified information reportedly predates his resignation, according to multiple people with knowledge of the matter, Semafor first reported. One person described the length of the investigation into Kent’s alleged actions as “months-long.”
According to multiple sources, the FBI declined to acknowledge or comment about any investigation into Kent. Inquiries for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence requesting comments on Wednesday reportedly were not returned.
The former national counterterrorism director voiced his objection to the Iran war in a social media post on Tuesday. He claimed that Iran posed no immediate threat to U.S. security and that the decision to engage in military conflict with Iran was predicated on “pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
“After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today,” Kent said in a post on X on Tuesday.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” he said. “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.”
In his resignation letter, Kent explained his decision, noting a noticeable shift in President Donald Trump’s foreign policy initiatives over the years.
“I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, 2024, which you enacted in your first term,” Kent said in his letter. “Until June of 2025, you understand that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.”
“Early in the administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran,” wrote Kent. “This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to victory. This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women. We cannot make this same mistake again.”
Kent echoed these sentiments during an interview on the Tucker Carlson Show, claiming that the decision to launch Operation Epic Fury was based on unreliable information.
“I know the Israeli officials, some in intelligence, some in government, will come to [U.S.] government officials, and they will say all kinds of things that we know from our intelligence just simply isn’t true,” Kent said when discussing the matter with Carlson.