The former director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), Joe Kent, is under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for “allegedly leaking classified information,” according to Semafor's White House correspondent, Shelby Talcott.
The source adds that Kent, who resigned from his position last Tuesday, has been under investigation since before his departure and that the investigation is being led by the criminal division of the FBI. The information released by Talcott was also confirmed by CBS News on Wednesday.
Shortly after Kent resigned, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Taylor Budowich, stated that the now former official was responsible for leaks that compromised American national security, although he did not specify what they were. He also stated that Kent “spent all his time working to subvert the chain of command and undermine the President of the United States
.” Joe Kent.
Kent's contradictions
To announce his resignation, Kent published a letter of his own on social networks addressed to Trump stating that it was “clear” that the war in Iran began “due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby”. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it's clear that we started this war because of pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” the former official wrote.
But that letter contradicts the sayings that Kent himself issued in previous years, where, for example, he defended the elimination of Qassim Soleimani, the Iranian general that Trump killed during his first term. Kent also stated on multiple occasions that Iranposed a danger to the United States and that the Islamic regime could not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.
Kent had Trump's support for his two election campaigns in which he unsuccessfully ran for Congress. He was nominated by the president at the beginning of his administration and confirmed for office in July 2025, but due to the suspicion of leaking for which he is now being investigated by the FBI, he stopped receiving intelligence reports a while ago
.
Asked about Kent's resignation, Trump said it was “a positive thing” and described him as “very weak in terms of security”. “I read your statement. I always thought he was a good guy, but I always thought he was weak in security, very weak in security. I didn't know him well,” added the Republican leader
