Conservative commentator Mark Levin lost it on the former top counterterrorism official who resigned in protest of the Iran war during an interview Monday.
Joe Kent, a former aide to Tulsi Gabbard who resigned as director of the National Counterterrorism Center after saying Iran posed “no imminent threat” to the U.S., was interviewed by Levin on his radio show.
During the heated exchange, Kent and Levin, an outspoken Iran hawk, clashed over whether Iran was actually on the brink of obtaining a nuclear weapon, as Israel has long claimed.
Kent also suggested that a conservative “media echo chamber” helped convince President Trump to go to war with Iran over the nuclear threat, directly accusing the Fox News host of being part of that push.
“I never lobbied the president,” Levin shot back, barking, “Hey, hey, pay attention to me” as Kent tried to expand on his remarks.
“I never lobbied the president. You guys keep putting that crap out there. I met with the president once, at his request, and I said to the president—ready for this, Joe—I said, ‘They’re saying out there that I’m lobbying you.’ You know what he did? He laughed,” Levin continued.
“He said, ‘Mark, I know where you stand. I watch your show on Saturday and Sunday.’”
Kent then suggested Levin could still have influenced Trump “by using the power of your show.”
“Come on, brother, you’re sounding almost ridiculous now,” Levin replied.
Kent sent shockwaves through the White House last week when he resigned as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announcing publicly that he could not “in good conscience” support the Iran war and rejecting claims that the country was preparing to attack the U.S. or its military bases in the region.
In his damning resignation letter, Kent—a conspiracy theorist with multiple ties to far-right extremists—also suggested Trump was drawn into the war because of “pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
Trump, who nominated Kent to the role, quickly turned on the 45-year-old after his resignation and suggested he was “weak on security.”
Kent is also under investigation for allegedly sharing classified information, which he denies. Semafor reported that the FBI probe was launched before his resignation.
