Early Tuesday, the White House was rocked by the resignation of Joe Kent, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, citing that he did not support the “war in Iran.”
With Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard having taken a no-war stance before joining the administration, Kent’s stance is understandable, but we would have hoped he would be on the same page as the administration, given his access to intelligence.
This is something that will not be taken lightly by the media, and I am sure, President Trump.
Gabbard made a huge splash in the Democrat Party when she ran for president during the 2020 cycle.
She was clearly anti-war, especially with Iran, citing her military experience. Gabbard still serves in the United States Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel.
At the time, Fox News reported Gabbard stating, "In these wars across the Middle East and Iraq, thousands of my brothers and sisters in uniform lost their lives and many were injured.”
She later added, "What is important that the American people know is a war with Iran would make the war in Iraq look like a cakewalk.”
Gabbard and Trump have not always seen eye-to-eye on Iran, with there being a public dispute over comments made by Gabbard during a congressional hearing.
The media cherry-picked Gabbard’s comments to get Trump to criticize Gabbard. Gabbard had stated that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon, but it could very quickly do so. The media latched onto the first part of that statement. Trump then replied, "Well then, my intelligence community is wrong. Who in the intelligence community said that?" When Trump was told it was Gabbard, Trump flatly responded, “She’s wrong,” reported CBS News.
Now, for all intents and purposes, Gabbard has been kept hidden, very likely because Trump does not want her previous comments coming back to haunt him, or put her in a bad spot to defend the operation.
MSNOW is reporting that this has been a “little deflating” for Gabbard, adding, “If you’re a political tool, but you’re not willing to be out there as a political tool, that’s where she risks running afoul of him, ultimately.” That more or less backs up my premise as to why we have not seen her.
When you consider Gabbard’s past stance, it stands to reason she would have brought in staff who were on the same page in terms of opposing a conflict with Iran. That is clearly the case, with The Hill reporting that Kent’s resignation letter stated, “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. 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.”
It continued, “I pray that you will reflect upon what we are doing in Iran, and who we are doing it for. The time for bold action is now. You can reverse course and chart a new path for our nation, or you can allow us to slip further toward decline and chaos. You hold the cards.”
Kent is a retired Green Beret, having served in the Army for two decades, as well as having had nearly a dozen combat deployments. He has also been awarded six Bronze Stars, so this is something that Democrats are going to pounce on.
Even though those words did not come directly from Gabbard, this could very much impact her status in this administration. Trump will likely see this as a direct attack from her office against him. This is the very situation I warned about when Gabbard was appointed, and now it has come to fruition. Will it cost Gabbard her position? She can save herself by doing something she has not yet done, and that is to publicly support Operation Epic Fury. If she doesn’t, it would not surprise me one bit to see Trump force her out.
