0:00
We turn now to our White House correspondent, Liz Landers, for more on the political context
0:05
All right, Liz, so tell us more about Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism
0:09
Center, who was on today in protest.
0:11
Well, with his background as a green beret and a former CIA official, he has with this
0:14
military and intelligence background, but he really represents sort of the mega portion
0:19
of this administration who is anti-war.
0:22
And that is what we saw today in these comments from him.
0:24
He is a close relationship with Tucker Carlson, who we've mentioned previously has been
0:28
critical of this war in Iran since it started.
0:32
He's also a close ally of Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence.
0:37
She herself has been quite anti-war in the past when she ran as a Democratic candidate
0:43
She ran really on that platform, no more foreign wars and interventions.
0:48
I remember seeing him at her confirmation hearings last year on Capitol Hill as a close
0:54
She responded today, it seemed, to his comments that Iran posed no imminent threats.
1:00
And these are the first comments that we've seen from her about the war since it started.
1:04
She said, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed
1:09
an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion.
1:13
Jeff, she testifies tomorrow on Capitol Hill.
1:16
I am sure that she will be asked about both Kent's resignation and also these comments
1:21
Kent, we should note had some extremist associations.
1:25
Tell us more about that.
1:26
During the confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill last year, both the ADL, the Anti-Defamation
1:31
League and the Southern Poverty Law Center were urging members of Congress not to confirm
1:35
him because of these extremist links of his in the past.
1:39
Today we heard from Congressman Don Bacon online who equipped good riddance and accused Kent
1:46
The Anti-Defamation League said again today that Kent has a quote, history of anti-semitism
1:52
So it's no surprise that he would blame Israel and the media in that resignation letter.
1:57
The Associated Press has covered some of Kent's extremism links in the past.
2:03
He held a call with Nick Fuentes, who is a Holocaust denier.
2:06
He later denounced Fuentes.
2:08
But that's just one example of a very extreme figure that he has links to from the past.
2:13
Those landers, thank you for that reporting.