The First Big Administration Defection Over Iran

"Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation," Kent wrote in his resignation letter, an extraordinary statement from an official who has had access to some of the most highly classified intelligence in the U.S. government. Trump has said the exact opposite-that Iran was about to use a nuclear weapon, and that its missiles "could soon" reach the United States. These claims are not supported by earlier U.S. intelligence assessments."

"The president "is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat," Gabbard said, referencing the language about Iran in Kent's letter. The job of her office, she explained, is to ensure that the president gets all of the intelligence that he needs to make a decision."

Joe Kent, the U.S. government's top counterterrorism official and Trump ally, resigned in protest of the decision to attack Iran, becoming the first senior government official to publicly oppose the action. In his resignation letter, Kent stated that Iran posed no imminent threat to the nation, directly contradicting Trump's claims that Iran was about to use nuclear weapons and that its missiles could soon reach the United States. Kent's statement, made with access to highly classified intelligence, suggested that nothing has changed in intelligence assessments to support Trump's rationale. His resignation surprised Washington officials. Kent's boss, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, remained silent following the attacks but issued a measured statement acknowledging the president's responsibility for determining imminent threats.

Read at The Atlantic