Trump nominates former congressional candidate Joe Kent to lead counterterrorism center

Jim Brunner, The Seattle Times on Feb 3, 2025

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President Donald Trump said Monday he is nominating former Washington state congressional candidate Joe Kent to be the director of the National Counterterrorism Center.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, his social media platform.

“As a Soldier, Green Beret, and CIA Officer, Joe has hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire adult life,” Trump wrote.

Kent, a decorated Special Forces combat veteran who also worked for the CIA, lost a congressional race in November to U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Washougal. It was the second time the two had faced off in the state’s 3rd Congressional District of Southwest Washington.

The counterterrorism center coordinates the nation’s strategy against terrorism and maintains a national repository of known and suspected terrorists. It operates as a partnership of organizations including the CIA, FBI and Defense Department. The director position is subject to Senate confirmation.

An unabashed Trump loyalist, Kent first jumped into politics in 2022, running in the 3rd District primary against U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over his stoking of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Kent beat Herrera Beutler in the primary but went on to lose a tight general election matchup against Gluesenkamp Perez, then a political unknown who stunned the country by flipping the Republican-leaning district.

Kent’s nomination is sure to draw scrutiny in the Senate for his controversial statements, reported associations with white nationalists and other far-right groups, and embrace of conspiracy theories on an array of subjects.

He has been an outspoken critic of U.S. military aid and involvement around the world, including opposing further help for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

In his nomination, Trump noted Kent’s wife, Shannon, a Navy cryptologist, who died in a 2019 terrorist suicide bombing in Syria.

“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,” Trump wrote.

Kent, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, thanked Trump in post on X Monday, saying “it’s an honor to serve our nation again, time to keep our national safe & strong!”