Gold Star wife blasts Joe Kent amid resignation, says he cannot 'redefine' the Iran war

WASHINGTON, DC: A Gold Star wife whose husband was killed by Iranian proxies slammed Joe Kent on Tuesday, March 17, for his resignation as the National Counterterrorism director. 

She criticized his decision to blame Israel for the conflict, telling Kent, “You don’t get to redefine this war just because it’s not your grief anymore.”

Gold Star wife rejects Kent's attempt to 'redefine' the conflict

The Gold Star wife, whose husband Alan was killed by Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, responded to Kent's claims. 

“Gold Star wife here. When ISIS killed your wife, you supported going after the people responsible. You understood exactly why we were fighting and never called it 'Israel's war,'” she wrote. 

She emphasized that Iran has been a threat for a long time, stating, “My husband, Alan, was killed by Iranian proxies in Iraq. And now, after decades, the fight is finally leading back to the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world.” 

She ended her message by telling Kent, “You understood it when it was your loss. Now you're minimizing it when it's mine. You don't get to redefine this war just because it's not your grief anymore.”

Kent blames Israel for pressuring the US into Iran war

Joe Kent, a former Army Ranger with 11 combat tours, resigned while claiming that the US was pressured into the conflict by Israel.

In his letter to President Trump, Kent wrote, “It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” 

He claimed that “high-ranking Israeli officials” and “influential members of the American media” created a “misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran.” 

Kent also described the war in Syria, where his wife Shannon was killed in 2019, as "a war manufactured by Israel."

Kent claimed administration was misled about threat from Iran

Kent argued that the administration was tricked into thinking the war would be a quick success. “This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory,” Kent wrote. 

He compared the current situation to the past, saying, “This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women.” 

He stated that these wars have “robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.”

Trump dismisses Kent's claim on Iran’s threat 

When asked about the resignation, President Trump dismissed Kent’s views and questioned his strength. 

"I always thought he was a nice guy. But I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security," Trump told the media. 

The President made it clear that he disagreed with Kent’s claims about Iran’s threat level. “I realized that it's a good thing that he's out because he said that Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat,” he added.