White House enraged by National Counterterrorism director’s resignation, calls it ‘laughable’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back strongly against claims made by former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, calling his resignation letter full of inaccuracies. Kent had previously announced on social media that he was stepping down from the NCTC, citing his opposition to what he called “the ongoing war in Iran.”

Kent’s resignation letter stunned the White House. He argued that President Trump had been misled by an Israeli “misinformation campaign.” Kent specifically wrote that an “echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory.” 

Per Politico, Leavitt hit back, describing the letter as “rife with inaccuracies” and containing “many falsehoods,” though she did not specify what those falsehoods were. Leavitt also called the letter “laughable and it’s insulting.” She added that Trump views it as “deeply unfortunate that this individual, who the president gave the privilege of working for the administration, put out this resignation on government letterhead with many falsehoods throughout.”

That isn’t the most interesting part of her statement, though

According to Leavitt, “it’s been a while since the president has seen him here at the White House.” Leavitt also clarified that Kent had not been “involved in the process of the presidential daily briefs” or “present for the president’s intelligence briefings” for some time. She characterized him as “an individual who was not involved in any of the discussions pre-operation and throughout this operation.” 

Trump himself commented on the situation on Tuesday, telling reporters that after reading the letter, “I realized that it’s a good thing that he’s out.” This is where it is insane, that the director of Counterterrorism was obviously kept out of briefings regarding a war with a country with known ties to terrorism.

Leavitt also emphasized that the president’s actions regarding Tehran should not have surprised anyone in the administration. She pointed out that “long before he ever entered politics, he has always said Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.”

Leavitt stated that anyone working in the White House “should be well aware of the president’s intentions and his peace through strength agenda and his willingness to use the United States military to achieve peace if and when necessary, as we have seen throughout Operation Epic Fury.”

Trump initially tapped Kent for the top NCTC post last February, and the Senate confirmed his appointment in July. In a move that now seems laughably routine for this administration, Kent is now under investigation by the FBI and evidently has been for a while. How surprising that we only hear of it now, when he has taken a stand against Trump.