The FBI is investigating Donald Trump’s former top counter-terrorism official – who resigned from the role earlier this week – over alleged leaks, sources have told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
Joe Kent is under investigation in connection with alleged leaks of classified information, with sources telling CBS that the probe began before his departure as US National Counterterrorism Center director.
Announcing his resignation on Tuesday, Kent said he could not support the war in Iran “in good conscience” and that the country “posed no imminent threat” to the US – a claim the White House dismissed.
The BBC contacted Kent for comment regarding the leaks allegation. The FBI declined to comment.
The probe is being handled by the FBI’s criminal division and has been under way for some time, one source told CBS.
Shortly after Kent resigned, former deputy White House chief of staff Taylor Budowich claimed Kent was “often at the center of national security leaks” – but did not specify what they were.
He also claimed Kent “spent all of his time working to subvert the chain of command and undermine the President of the United States”.
In a letter addressed to President Trump announcing his resignation, Kent said it was “clear” the war in Iran was started “due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby”.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a US antisemitism monitor, said in a statement that accusations in Kent’s resignation letter “traffic in old-age antisemitic tropes”.
Speaking to right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson on Wednesday evening, Kent repeated the claim that the decision to attack Iran was led by Israel.
He told the former Fox News host there had been “no intelligence” suggesting that Iran would launch a “sneak attack” on the US and that Iran was not on the verge of getting a nuclear weapon.
He also alleged that some of the government’s “key decision makers” had limited access to Trump in the lead up to the Iran war and that there had been no “robust debate” ahead of the strikes.
Kent added that he had a “great” conversation with Trump about his resignation and that he believed he and the president had “departed personally on good terms”.
Following Kent’s resignation, the White House dismissed his letter, saying the president had “compelling evidence” that Iran was going to attack the US first.
Trump later rebutted Kent’s claims, saying he was a “nice guy” but that it was a “good thing” he was out of government, adding that he always thought Kent had been “very weak on security”.
Kent, a long-time Trump supporter who unsuccessfully ran for Congress twice, was nominated by the president early in his administration and confirmed to his post in July 2025.
By BBC News
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