The FBI is investigating Joseph Kent, who resigned as head of the counterterrorism center in the office of the director of national intelligence due to his opposition to military operations against the Islamic Republic.
This was stated by Shelby Talcott, a journalist from the Semafor portal.
„Joe Kent is being investigated by the FBI for possible leaking classified information, I learned this from three sources. "I was told the investigation had already begun before his resignation," she wrote in X.
The director of the US National Counterterrorism Center resigned on March 17, 2026. This is the first resignation at such a high level in the Donald Trump administration related to a direct military conflict between the US and Iran.
Kent cited his disagreement with Trump's war on Iran as the main reason. In his letter, he claimed that the conflict was instigated by Israel and its lobby in the US.
President Donald Trump welcomed the resignation, saying that Kent had been “very weak on security issues“ and it was “good that he left“.
Analysts have described the act as revealing “deep divisions” in the Trump cabinet and a rift in the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement regarding foreign policy in the Middle East.
The resignation has intensified public discontent against military action in the region.
Joe Kent is a former “Green Beret“ and was considered one of Trump's loyal associates before the rift over Iran strategy.
His resignation is seen as a landmark moment, showing that even Trump's closest allies are beginning to distance themselves from his policy of “evangelical Zionism“ and military escalation.