Senate Approves Joe Kent, Ex-Special Forces, as Head of Counterterrorism Agency

The Senate voted 52-44 to confirm former special operations soldier Joe Kent to serve as the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).

“It’s an honor to serve our nation again & to be back in the fight against terrorism,” Kent wrote in a post on X. Kent continued to thank President Donald Trump and Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard for their confidence in his leadership.

Kent added that NCTC would “relentlessly pursue & defeat our nation’s enemies.”

“In honor of our fallen, we fight on,” Kent continued.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) was reported to be the “only Republican” to oppose confirming Kent to lead the NCTC, according to the Associated Press. Kent’s nomination has also been criticized by Democrats, who pointed out that he has “past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories.”

Yet Democrats strongly opposed his confirmation, pointing to his past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories. During his 2022 congressional campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian national group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of far-right figures.

As Breitbart News previously reported, in February, Trump announced that he was nominating Kent to lead the NCTC, noting that “as a Soldier, Green Beret, and CIA Officer,” Kent had experience hunting down terrorists and criminals.

“Above all, Joe knows the terrible cost of terrorism, losing his wonderful wife, Shannon, a Great American Hero, who was killed in the fight against ISIS,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post at the time. “Joe continues to honor her legacy by staying in the fight. Joe will help us keep America safe by eradicating all terrorism, from the jihadists around the World, to the cartels in our backyard.”

Kent’s late wife, Shannon, was one of four Americans who were “killed by a suicide attack” on January 16, 2019, while in Manbij, Syria, according to the Foundation for Women Warriors website:

On January 16, 2019, in Manbij, Syria, Shannon and three other Americans, Jonathan Farmer, a Green Beret; Scott Wirtz, a civilian intelligence officer; and Ghadir Taher, a Syrian-born contractor, were killed by a suicide attack. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack. Shannon was the first female combat death in Syria since combat operations began against ISIS in Syria, and the first female U.S. service member killed by enemy fire in more than three years.

Breitbart News has previously reported that Kent ran against Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District in 2022 and 2024.