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FBI Probes Ex-NCTC Director Joe Kent for Leaking Classified Iran Intel

FBI Probes Ex-NCTC Director Joe Kent for Leaking Classified Iran Intel
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The FBI opened a criminal investigation into former National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent for allegedly leaking classified information, an inquiry that began months before his high‑profile resignation this week over President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, according to multiple reports semafor +2. The probe centers on whether Kent improperly shared intelligence related to Iran and Israel, including with right‑wing media figures, while serving as the nation’s top counterterrorism official axios +1.

Kent, a retired Green Beret and former Washington state congressional candidate, was confirmed to lead the NCTC in July 2025 after serving as chief of staff to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard cnn. On Tuesday he abruptly quit in a blistering public letter, asserting that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation” and accusing Israel of pushing the U.S. into war through “misinformation” wionews +1.

What Investigators Are Probing

Semafor first reported that the FBI’s criminal division had opened a leak investigation into Kent, citing four people with direct knowledge who said agents were examining whether he improperly disclosed classified material while in office semafor. Subsequent reporting by NBC News, CBS News, Axios and others confirmed that the inquiry predates Kent’s resignation and has been underway for months nbcnews +3.

Axios reported that investigators were focused in part on possible leaks of intelligence about Iran and Israel, and that Kent was suspected by some officials of providing information to Tucker Carlson and another conservative podcaster theguardian. The FBI has declined to comment publicly, and no charges have been filed. Details of the allegedly leaked information remain classified, limiting what officials can say even as the case has quickly become a political flashpoint nbcnews +1.

A Resignation That Rocked Trump’s National Security Team

Kent’s dramatic exit deepened tensions inside Trump’s national security apparatus, where he had been both a loyalist and an occasional skeptic. In his resignation letter, he wrote that he “cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” directly challenging the administration’s justification that Tehran posed an imminent threat wionews +1. The letter also blamed “pressure and lies” from Israel and its supporters, language critics, including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, condemned as trafficking in anti‑Semitic tropes nytimes +1.

Trump publicly lashed out, saying he had long viewed Kent as “weak on security,” while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called his claims about Iran “false” and insisted the country did pose an imminent danger cbsnews +1. In a lengthy interview with Tucker Carlson the day after stepping down, Kent framed the leak inquiry and political backlash as retaliation for his dissent, saying he expected parts of the administration would “have to come after me and try and discredit me” nbcnews +1. The clash has put Washington state politics back in the spotlight, reviving scrutiny of Kent’s past ties to far‑right figures during his congressional campaigns kgw +1.

The Bigger Picture

The unfolding investigation into Joe Kent sits at the intersection of three volatile issues: the secrecy surrounding U.S. intelligence, the deepening political rift over the Iran war, and long‑running concerns about leaks and loyalty in Trump’s national security team. With the FBI refusing to discuss the probe and key facts locked behind classification, both supporters and critics have rushed to define the narrative — either as a principled whistleblower being punished, or as a powerful official potentially playing politics with state secrets. How the Justice Department proceeds will shape not only Kent’s fate but also the boundaries for dissent inside the intelligence community during wartime.