Washington [US], March 18 : US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reacted to the resignation of Joseph Kent, Director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, stating that his exit was "a good thing" while criticising his stance on Iran.
Answering a reporter's query on Joe Kent's resignation over his objections to the war with Iran, Trump said, "I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security. But when I read his statement, I realised that it's a good thing that he's out because he said that Iran was not a threat. Every country realised what a threat Iran was..."
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump made the remarks hours after Joseph Kent resigned as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, CNN reported.
As per CNN, in his resignation letter, Kent stated that he "cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war with Iran," while also asserting that Tehran posed "no imminent threat" to the United States.
Kent further accused Israel of pushing the Trump administration toward war, CNN reported.
Trump, who had appointed Kent to the role, said, "When somebody is working with us that says they didn't think Iran was a threat, we don't want those people. They're not smart people, or they're not savvy people", as per CNN.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a detailed statement criticising Joe Kent after the former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center resigned and claimed that "Iran posed no imminent threat" to the US, CNN reported.
Leavitt said in a post on X that US President Donald Trump "had strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first," adding that the evidence "was compiled from many sources and factors," as per CNN.
"The Commander-in-Chief determines what does and does not constitute a threat, because he is the one constitutionally empowered to do so - and because the American people went to the ballot box and entrusted him and him alone to make such final judgments," Leavitt said, marking the administration's first public response to Kent's resignation, CNN reported.
As per CNN, she further dismissed Kent's claim that Trump's decision was influenced by others, calling it an "absurd allegation" and describing it as "insulting and laughable".
Meanwhile, several outside Trump allies also criticised Kent, including former White House communications director Taylor Budowich, who called him a "crazed egomaniac" and a "loser," CNN reported.
According to CNN, right-wing activist Laura Loomer also weighed in, saying she had been warning about Kent "for a long time now".