Senate Confirms Special Forces Vet Joe Kent to Lead Counterterrorism Agency
The Senate voted 52-44 to confirm the former soldier of special operations Joe Kent to be director of the National Counterterroism Center (NCTC).
“It is an honor to serve our nation again and to be back in the fight against terrorism,” Kent wrote in a job On X. Kent continued to thank President Donald Trump and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard for their confidence in his direction.
Kent added that the NCTC “would pursue tirelessly and tirelessly beat the enemies of our nation”.
“In honor of our dead, we are fighting,” continued Kent.
Senator Thom Tillis (R-R-NC) would have been the “only republican” to oppose Kent’s confirmation to lead the NCTC, according to the Associated Press. Kent’s appointment was also criticized by the Democrats, who stressed that he had “bonds passed with figures of the far right and conspiracy theories”.
However, the Democrats were strongly opposed to its confirmation, highlighting its bonds passed with extreme right figures and conspiracy theories. During his Congress campaign in 2022, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, member of the far -right military group, The Proud Boys, for consultation work. He also worked in close collaboration with Joey Gibson, the founder of the national Christian group Patriot Prayer, and attracted the support of a variety of extreme right figures.
As Breitbart News reported before reported in February, Trump announced that he was appointing Kent to lead the NCTC, noting that “as a soldier, green beret and CIA officer”, Kent had experience in terrorists and criminals.
“Above all, Joe knows the terrible cost of terrorism, losing his wonderful wife, Shannon, a great American hero, who was killed in the fight against the Islamic State,” wrote Trump in a social post at the time. “Joe continues to honor his inheritance by remaining in the fight. Joe will help us to ensure the safety of America by eradicating all the terrorism, jihadists from around the world, with cartels in our backyard. ”
Kent’s late wife, Shannon, was one of the four Americans “killed by a suicide attack” on January 16, 2019, while he was in Manbij, Syria, according to the website of the Foundation for Women Warriors:
January 16, 2019, in Manbij, Syria, Shannon and three other Americans, Jonathan Farmer, a green beret; Scott Wirtz, civil intelligence officer; And Ghadir Taher, an entrepreneur of Syrian origin, were killed by a suicide attack. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed the responsibility of the attack. Shannon was the first female death in combat in Syria since combat operations began against the Islamic State in Syria, and the first woman member of the American service killed by an enemy fire in more than three years.
Breitbart News previously reported that Kent had run against the representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) for the 3rd district of the Washington Congress in 2022 and 2024.
