Joe Kent’s resignation as director of the National Counterterrorism Center could very well be part of an intentional effort to discredit President Donald Trump and the war in Iran.
And it could also be an illustration of Kent’s unknowing role in biblical prophecy, Steve Deace, a leading conservative media voice, said on American Family Radio Wednesday.
Kent’s publicized resignation letter to Trump and his guest appearances with other anti-Israel media figures were near simultaneous events.
Kent’s first public comments since his resignation came in a near two-hours-long sitdown with Tucker Carlson in which they discussed the resignation, the Iran war and the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Kent repeated previous claims that Israel drew the U.S. into the war against Iran, that Iran was not a threat to the U.S., saying there was no reason to believe Iran intended to attack the U.S. without being provoked.
“I think this speaks to the broader issue: who is in charge of our policy in the Middle East,” Kent told Carlson.
Kent went on to imply that Israel was responsible for Charlie Kirk’s assassination and has since offered to assist in the defense of alleged killer Tyler Robinson, according to reports.
“What’s taking place right now is some stuff that is just almost Matthew 24 kind of stuff that the deception would be so deep even the elect would be deceived if those days were not limited. This is true spiritual blindness, true spiritual warfare playing out,” Deace told show host Jenna Ellis.
Kent positioned himself as a strong supporter of Israel, aligning with traditional Republican pro-Israel policy, during a failed U.S. House run in 2022.
Meanwhile, Kent publicly stated support for U.S. military aid to Israel, including funding for Iron Dome, and endorsed a two-state solution free from external coercion.
He lost another run for the House in 2024.
“Joe Kent is saying all kinds of things about Israel different than what he said as recently as 2024 and the four years prior. In his last congressional campaign he attacked his Democrat opponent for not being pro-Israel. The president himself has exposed numerous different positions on these things that this guy has taken,” Deace said.
Kent told Carlson the NCTC was “stopped” from continuing to investigate Kirk’s assassination once Robinson was arrested.
“It is very clear now that Joe Kent is part of some kind of op … you have Joe Kent and Tucker Carlson essentially trying to ‘Pentagon Papers’ Trump over the Iran war,” Deace said.
Now it appears Kent is trying to subvert the case against Robinson without bringing new facts and information to the table.
He says “we didn’t investigate all the leads. What leads? He’s presented no leads,” Deace says, adding that the evidence against Robinson is overwhelming.
Deace cites:
Robinson’s fingerprints on the murder weapon.
The fact that Robinson’s family convinced him to meet with authorities after his father recognized him in images released of the suspect in the shooting.
Robinson’s transgender boyfriends said Robinson talked about shooting Kirk.
“If that's not enough evidence for you, I don't know what evidence you want,” Deace said.
Any Israel involvement in Kirk’s murder would be counterproductive for Israel.
“To take the most high-profile ally they had left in American evangelicalism and have him killed would be about the dumbest thing you could possibly imagine,” Deace said.
The weaponization of justice
Kent’s resignation and media tour with Carlson, Candace Owens and others is weaponization of the justice system against Trump to fit a political narrative against Israel, Ellis said.
The attack may look different because it comes from voices perceived as the political right.
Deace says conservative voices need to push back.
“We’ve crossed a red line here, and now I think we need to confront this way more vehemently and aggressively,” Deace said.
People need to think hard about the political analysis put forth by certain voices.
“Look, the legacy of Charlie Kirk, look how many people went back to church, look how many people got into the Word of God, look at his memorial that was the largest presentation of the gospel in the history of this planet. Then ask what are Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens producing? Are they inspiring you, giving you the word of God? Are they inspiring you to go to church?”
