Joe Kent Pushes Israel Conspiracy Claims After Iran War Resignation

Joe Kent, the former director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, intensified his accusations against Israel yesterday, claiming Israel pushed the United States into war with Iran during his first public interview after resigning from the Trump administration.

Kent stepped down Tuesday, saying he opposed the war and arguing Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. But in a lengthy interview Wednesday with Tucker Carlson, who has become one of the most prominent critics of the Iran war and commands a large online following ,Kent went further, accusing Israel of driving Washington’s decision to enter the conflict: “The Israelis drove the decision to take this action.”

Kent also disputed the administration’s justification for the war, arguing intelligence agencies had not identified a looming Iranian attack. “So, the imminent threat was not from Iran, it’s from Israel,” he said, agreeing with Carlson’s framing of the issue.

Kent suggested that Israel’s actions forced the United States into the conflict and that Washington had the power to prevent it. “The Israelis felt emboldened that no matter what they did they could go ahead and take this action and we would just have to react,” Kent said. “It just shows that there was a lobby pushing for us to go to war.”

Critics say the rhetoric echoes longstanding antisemitic conspiracy theories portraying Jews or Israel as secretly manipulating governments and dragging countries into war. Several prominent political figures quickly condemned the remarks. 

Sen. Mitch McConnell described Kent’s resignation letter as “virulent antisemitism,” while Rep. Josh Gottheimer said “scapegoating Israel isn’t just a tired antisemitic trope — it’s anti-American.”

Kent’s remarks come as he faces additional scrutiny from federal investigators. According to NBC News, the FBI has been investigating Kent for months on suspicion that he leaked classified information. The probe reportedly began before he resigned from his position. One source familiar with the investigation told Axios that officials suspected Kent had shared sensitive intelligence related to Israel and Iran with media figures.

Administration officials have also suggested Kent had been cut out of intelligence briefings with President Donald Trump because he was considered a “known leaker.”

Kent has pushed back on the criticism, saying he expected attempts to undermine his credibility after speaking out. “I understand the way I left and writing the letter that there’s parts of this administration that are going to have to come after me and try and discredit me,” Kent said in the interview.

The controversy is unfolding as debate intensifies inside conservative media and Republican politics over the war with Iran and the future of the United States’ alliance with Israel. For decades, support for Israel has been a core position across the Republican Party. But the conflict has exposed growing divisions between traditional pro-Israel conservatives and a rising group of commentators who argue the United States should distance itself from Middle Eastern conflicts.

As the war with Iran continues to unfold, Kent’s resignation and subsequent accusations have added a new political fight in Washington over both the conflict itself and the role of Israel in American foreign policy.