Editorial: Intelligence chief Joe Kent heads for the exit. He will not be missed

The Seattle Times editorial board, The Seattle Times on Mar 19, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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What to make of the sudden resignation of intelligence chief and onetime Washington congressional candidate Joe Kent?

Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, left the government on Tuesday after releasing a blistering letter condemning the war with Iran but somehow absolving President Donald Trump of instigating the debacle.

“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” he wrote in a letter to Trump. “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.”

Kent went on to denounce “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media” for deploying a “misinformation campaign.”

Trump was deceived into believing there was a clear path to victory, Kent proclaimed. “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.”

By laying responsibility for this ill-prepared war on Israel — and making Trump appear befuddled and easily manipulated by foreign powers and the all-mighty media — Kent indulged in his trademark eye-rolling dark fantasies.

This is, after all, the guy who called people charged with crimes in the 2021 Capitol attack “political prisoners” and repeatedly suggested the insurrection may have been secretly instigated by the FBI.

“Good riddance to Joe Kent, a disgraceful white supremacist, but that’s a major public admission that there was NO justification for this war,” Democratic Sen. Patty Murray posted on social media.

The United States went to war against Iran without a vote or debate by Congress, much less any real discussion or even attempt to explain it to the American people.

For zealots like Kent, the conflict represents a betrayal of the MAGA movement, but one for which Trump is not responsible, since he was misled by powerful forces he was unable to resist.

The truth is much simpler. Trump displayed a disregard for democratic norms on the campaign trail and as president, believes his judgment to be infallible. He portrays himself as a strongman unfettered by such quaint concepts as debate and dialogue. Polls say registered Republicans love it all.

A Quinnipiac University poll published March 9 showed 85% of Republicans supported U.S. military action against Iran. By contrast, 89% of Democrats and 60% of independents opposed it.

Will Kent change the president’s mind? Will the MAGA base abandon the commander in chief over his broken pledge to avoid foreign entanglements?

The likely answer to both questions: No.

Kent’s public bailing out of the administration illustrates that when you work for wannabe dictators, you have only yourself to blame when things go horribly wrong.

The larger point: MAGA may be rife with contradictions, but MAGA seems not to mind.

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The Seattle Times editorial board: members are editorial page editor Kate Riley, Ryan Blethen, Melissa Davis, Josh Farley, Alex Fryer, Claudia Rowe, Carlton Winfrey, Frank A. Blethen (emeritus) and William K. Blethen (emeritus).