{"id":2580886,"date":"2026-03-17T13:34:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T17:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/johnson-reiterates-iran-posed-an-imminent-threat-after-joe-kent-resigns\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T13:37:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T17:37:17","slug":"johnson-reiterates-iran-posed-an-imminent-threat-after-joe-kent-resigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/johnson-reiterates-iran-posed-an-imminent-threat-after-joe-kent-resigns\/","title":{"rendered":"Johnson reiterates Iran posed an &#8216;imminent threat&#8217; after Joe Kent resigns"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjohnson-reiterates-iran-posed-an-imminent-threat-after-joe-kent-resigns%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2580886&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports that House Speaker Mike Johnson challenged National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent\u2019s resignation claim that Iran posed no imminent threat and that the war against Iran was driven by Israeli pressure. Johnson said Kent wasn\u2019t present at the briefings and asserted that Iran was actively pursuing nuclear capability and rapid missile progress, facts he says helped justify President Trump\u2019s decision to strike Iran in what was described as \u201coperation Epic Fury.\u201d Rubio and other top officials were said to have had access to highly detailed intelligence, and Johnson argued the management acted to prevent mass casualties and damage to installations. White House spokespeople restated many of Johnson\u2019s points, while Leavitt defended the administration\u2019s rationale and dismissed Kent\u2019s allegations as false. Kent, the first high-ranking Trump official to resign over the iran conflict, said he could not support the ongoing war, claiming Iran did not pose an imminent threat. The piece also notes supportive and hostile reactions from other political figures, including marjorie Taylor Greene defending Kent, and details Kent\u2019s background as a CIA veteran with extensive combat experience and personal losses tied to the war.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Johnson reiterates Iran posed an &lsquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/massie-says-no-imminent-threat-from-iran-authorized-trump-to-bypass-congress-for-strikes-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Massie says \u2018no ...\u2019 from ... authorized ... to bypass Congress for strikes - Washington Examiner\">imminent threat&#038;rsquo<\/a>; after counterterrorism director resigns<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2534983\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>House Speaker <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-johnson\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"7043\">Mike Johnson<\/a> (R-LA) responded to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4494051\/joe-kent-first-trump-administraion-official-resign-iran-war\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4494051\/joe-kent-first-trump-administraion-official-resign-iran-war\/\">resignation<\/a> of National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent on Tuesday, challenging the departing Trump official&rsquo;s assertion that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iran<\/a> &ldquo;posed no imminent threat&rdquo; to the United States.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know where Joe Kent is getting his information, but he wasn&rsquo;t in those briefings clearly,&rdquo; Johnson <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/cspan\/status\/2033921004716626391\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/cspan\/status\/2033921004716626391\">told reporters<\/a> at a press conference on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4494121\/mike-johnson-clean-extension-government-spy-powers-iran-terrorism-threat\/\">Mike Johnson pledges clean extension of government spy powers amid Iran terrorism threats<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4493875\/jasmine-crockett-confirms-security-staffer-mike-king-killed-standoff-dallas-police\/\">Jasmine Crockett confirms security staffer killed in standoff with Dallas police<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4493796\/what-to-know-about-usps-dire-financial-state-oversight-hearing\/\">What to know about USPS&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-to-know-about-uspss-dire-financial-state-ahead-of-oversight-hearing\/\" title=\"What to know about USPS&#039;s dire financial state ahead of oversight hearing\">dire financial state ahead<\/a> of oversight hearing<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The House Republican leader is a member of the bipartisan &ldquo;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gang-of-eight\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5616\">Gang of Eight<\/a>&rdquo; group, which receives closed-door briefings from the executive branch on classified intelligence and covert operations.<\/p>\n<p>Secretary of State <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"51\">Marco Rubio<\/a> briefed the Gang of Eight on Iran in the days and hours leading up to the initial joint U.S.-Israel strikes that commenced late last month. The conflict has lasted over two weeks now.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson explained he and the seven other lawmakers were told that Iran was actively seeking nuclear capability and quickly building ballistic missiles. With that information in hand, the Trump administration deemed the Islamic regime a credible threat in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/middle-east\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"102\">Middle East<\/a> and abroad.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio and other top officials in the administration, Johnson said, &ldquo;had exquisite intelligence, and we understood that this was a serious moment for us.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The potential loss of American lives was a major factor in President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump&rsquo;s<\/a> decision to strike Iran in &ldquo;Operation Epic Fury,&rdquo; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/del-democrats-facing-accusations-of-racism-violence\/\" title=\"Del. Democrats facing accusations of racism, violence\">speaker told<\/a> the press.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Had the president waited, I am personally convinced that we would have had mass casualties of Americans, service members, and others. And our installations would have been dramatically damaged,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;The president felt that he had to strike first to prevent those mass casualties.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In a lengthy statement after the House GOP press conference, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8767\">White House<\/a> press secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/karoline-leavitt\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11685\">Karoline Leavitt<\/a> restated many of Johnson&rsquo;s points.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">There are many false claims in this letter but let me address one specifically: that &#8220;Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.&#8221;<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>As President Trump has clearly and&hellip; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AC8M5L8lye\">https:\/\/t.co\/AC8M5L8lye<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PressSec\/status\/2033932810709315865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 17, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Kent became the first high-ranking Trump official to leave his post based on the president&rsquo;s war in Iran. Tuesday is his last day as Trump&rsquo;s counterterrorism head.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I cannot in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-tuck-female-draft-into-defense-bill\/\" title=\"Democrats Tuck Female Draft Into Defense Bill\">good conscience support<\/a> the ongoing war in Iran,&rdquo; Kent wrote in his resignation letter. &ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt denied that Trump was influenced by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"219\">Israel<\/a> to launch the operation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The absurd allegation that President Trump made this decision based on the influence of others, even foreign countries, is both insulting and laughable,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;President Trump has been remarkably consistent and has said for DECADES that Iran can NEVER possess a nuclear weapon.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A longtime Trump adviser similarly blasted Kent&rsquo;s reasoning for resigning.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Joe Kent is a crazed egomaniac who was often at the center of <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >national security leaks<\/a>, while rarely (never?) producing any actual work,&rdquo; former White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Budowich\/status\/2033911541347586143\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Budowich\/status\/2033911541347586143\">posted on X<\/a>. &ldquo;He spent all of his time working to subvert the chain of command and undermine the President of the United States. This isn&rsquo;t some principled resignation&mdash;he just wanted to make a splash before getting canned. What a loser.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Other conservative figures who are more critical of Trump, including former Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marjorie-taylor-greene\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"776\">Marjorie Taylor Greene<\/a> (R-GA), rushed to Kent&rsquo;s defense.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They are going to lie about Joe Kent and try to discredit him. Do not believe the lies!&rdquo; Greene <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mtgreenee\/status\/2033920161716080791\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mtgreenee\/status\/2033920161716080791\">pleaded<\/a>. &ldquo;Joe Kent is a great American hero, deployed 11 times, and a Gold Star Husband! He&rsquo;s right!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4493309\/iran-war-where-things-stand-third-week\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4493309\/iran-war-where-things-stand-third-week\/\">AMERICA&rsquo;S WAR AGAINST IRAN IS CONTINUING IN ITS THIRD WEEK: WHAT TO KNOW<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kent took over the National Counterterrorism Center last summer after passing the Senate confirmation process. When he was nominated last year, Trump promised that Kent &ldquo;will help us keep America safe by eradicating all terrorism, from the jihadists around the World, to the cartels in our backyard.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Kent once served at the CIA and served 11 combat tours in Iraq primarily. He blames a &ldquo;war manufactured by Israel&rdquo; for his wife&rsquo;s death, which is why he says he &ldquo;cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives.&rdquo; At least 13 U.S. service members have been killed since the conflict began.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paraphrase (55 characters):<br \/>\nJohnson: Iran posed imminent threat after Kent resigns<\/p>\n<p>Expanded paraphrase:<br \/>\nHouse Speaker Mike Johnson disputed Joe Kent\u2019s claim that Iran posed no imminent threat, saying Kent wasn\u2019t present for the briefings. Johnson and the other Gang of Eight were told Iran was pursuing nuclear capability and rapid missile development, information that helped frame Tehran as a credible danger and justified Trump&#8217;s strike decisions. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt later echoed Johnson\u2019s points, denying that Trump acted due to foreign influence and reaffirming the long-standing goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Kent, in his resignation letter, said he could not support the ongoing war in Iran, while his supporters and critics offered competing reactions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2580887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26076548875845.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[75976,3823,4162],"class_list":["post-2580886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-imminent-threat-2","tag-iran","tag-johnson"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26076548875845.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2580886"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2580890,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580886\/revisions\/2580890"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2580887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2580886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2580886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2580886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}