Former US National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent on Friday accused pro-war advocates in the US and Israel of convincing President Donald Trump that he needed to strike Iran, despite little firm evidence that the nation posed an imminent threat.
During an appearance on the Megyn Kelly Show, Kent claimed that Israeli leaders and US allies like Sen. Lindsey Graham created an “echo chamber” around Trump, pressing him for months to launch a military campaign while cutting skeptical voices out of the discussion.
“I saw the bubble being created around President Trump,” said Kent, who resigned earlier this week over his misgivings about the war. “The president was isolated, and so he was just hearing that echo chamber.”
Kent added that the lead-up to striking Iran contrasted sharply with the preparations for Trump’s bombing last year of the country’s nuclear sites, which he said occurred only after a robust back-and-forth within the administration over the merits of an attack.
Instead, he claimed that Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisers, aided by pro-war allies of Trump, successfully urged Trump to act before the administration had worked through all the possible repercussions.
“Whatever argument they used, the effect was that President Trump was then led to believe that if he took action now, this whole thing would be quick and easy,” Kent said.
In a statement, White House spokesman Davis Ingle called Kent’s resignation letter “riddled with lies” and defended Trump’s decision to strike Iran.
“Most egregious were Kent’s false claims that the largest state sponsor of terrorism somehow did not pose a threat to the United States and that Israel forced the President into launching Operation Epic Fury,” Ingle said.
Kent’s interview was the second he’s done with a prominent conservative skeptic of the war since quitting, following a lengthy sitdown with Tucker Carlson.
This post has been updated with a White House statement.
