A former high-ranking official from the White House claimed on Tuesday that Joe Kent, the intelligence officer who resigned in protest over the Iran war, was already facing dismissal prior to his public resignation. This revelation was shared through a social media post by Taylor Budowich, who previously served as President Trump’s deputy chief of staff.
Budowich’s post on X was scathing, describing Joe Kent as a “crazed egomaniac” frequently involved in national security leaks, yet contributing little in terms of actual work. “He spent his time attempting to circumvent the chain of command and undermine the President,” Budowich accused.
In a further assertion, Budowich downplayed Kent’s resignation as being less about principles and more about seeking attention before an inevitable termination. “This isn’t some principled resignation — he just wanted to make a splash before getting canned,” Budowich remarked, dismissing Kent’s actions as those of a “loser.”
Interestingly, Budowich did not clarify the specifics of any alleged leaks attributed to Kent. Meanwhile, Kent, who is an Army veteran and has twice run as a Republican candidate for Congress, shared his resignation letter publicly, stating, “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.”
Budowich did not specify what Kent allegedly was involved in leaking.
Kent, an Army veteran and two-time Republican congressional candidate, posted his resignation letter on X, writing: “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,” Kent wrote.
Kent served as a key deputy to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who last year said she referred three individuals to the Justice Department for prosecution related to alleged leaks.
His wife Shannon died in a Jan. 16, 2019, ISIS suicide bombing while stationed in Syria.
“I always thought he was a nice guy,” Trump said of Kent after his resignation, “but I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security.”
The president called Kent’s departure “a good thing.”
