On 17 March, in the thick of the ongoing war in West Asia, a senior US intelligence official abruptly tendered his resignation. Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, posted on X, ‘After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position…’

He went on to say, ‘I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.’ Quite blunt in stating that the attack on Iran was unprovoked and unjustified.

In a sense, Kent’s statement made public a view that several members in Trump’s cabinet privately hold but have not publicly aired. It is rumoured to be vice-president J.D. Vance’s opinion as well. Vance, however, was produced before the press in the Oval Office to support his boss. He said — and this was live on news networks — that he trusted Trump to make sure that ‘the mistakes of the past’ are not repeated. Vance may find it difficult to distance himself from the double-edged endorsement, if he runs for president in 2028.

CNN reported, ‘Kent was a staunch supporter of Trump and the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement.’ His was the second public, headline-making departure from the Trump administration in this term after Elon Musk quit within weeks of being named the head of the short-lived and unpopular Department of Government Efficiency. It also exposed a fissure in the Trump regime, which could be the beginning of more dissent and possibly impact him in opinion polls.

At the........

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