White House tears down ‘false claims’ in counterterrorism chief’s resignation letter
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White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt on Tuesday dismissed the “false claims” in the resignation letter of the country’s top official, saying President Donald Trump has “strong and strong evidence” that Iran will attack the United States first.
Joe Kent wrote on X earlier this morning that, “After much thought, I have decided I resigned from my position as the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, which operates today.” Kent said he could not “in good conscience” support an ongoing war with Iran, saying “Iran has never been an imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war because of pressure from Israel and its powerful American delegation.”
“There are many false claims in this book but let me address one specifically: that ‘Iran has never been a threat to our nation,'” Leavitt responded. “This is a false claim that Democrats and others in the liberal media have been repeating.”
“As President Trump has made very clear, he had strong and strong evidence that Iran would attack the United States first,” he added.
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White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt, left, and Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent announced his resignation on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (Annabelle Gordon/AFP via Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Leavitt said, “This evidence is compiled from multiple sources and factors,” and, “President Trump would never make a decision to send military assets against a foreign enemy in a vacuum.”
The press secretary said it was Iran the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism – an idea House lawmakers agreed to earlier this month when they passed a resolution containing similar language.
“The Iranian regime is evil. It proudly killed Americans, fought against our country, and openly threatened us until the start of Operation Epic Fury,” Leavitt continued.
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The US Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford conducts flight operations in support of Operation Epic Fury against Iran, in an undisclosed location, in this photo released on March 9, 2026. (DVIDS/Reuters)
“Iran has been aggressively expanding its short-range ballistic missiles to engage its naval assets for self-defense – which means they will have some capabilities that will provide them with deterrence against us and the rest of the world,” he added. “The regime intended to use those missiles as a shield to continue to achieve its ultimate goal – nuclear weapons.”
Leavitt said the president “finally made a decision that a joint strike with Israel would significantly reduce the risk to American lives that would result from a first strike by the Iranian regime of terrorism and address this imminent threat to America’s national security.”
He also criticized the “absurd allegation that President Trump made this decision based on the influence of others, even foreign countries,” calling Kent’s claim “insulting and ridiculous.”
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, was killed at the start of Operation Epic Fury, launched by the Trump administration against Iran. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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“President Trump has been incredibly consistent and has been saying for YEARS that Iran will NEVER have a nuclear weapon,” Leavitt said. “As someone who actually sees President Trump’s decision-making process every day, I can attest to the fact that he is always looking to do what the United States of America loves – period. America First.”
