Johnson reiterates Iran posed an ‘imminent threat’ after counterterrorism director resigns
Is this competence or optics?
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) responded to the resignation of National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent on Tuesday, challenging the departing Trump official’s assertion that Iran “posed no imminent threat” to the United States.
“I don’t know where Joe Kent is getting his information, but he wasn’t in those briefings clearly,” Johnson told reporters at a press conference on Capitol Hill.
The House Republican leader is a member of the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” group, which receives closed-door briefings from the executive branch on classified intelligence and covert operations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio 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.
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 Middle East and abroad.
Rubio and other top officials in the administration, Johnson said, “had exquisite intelligence, and we understood that this was a serious moment for us.”
The potential loss of American lives was a major factor in President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran in “Operation Epic Fury,” the speaker told the press.
“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,” he added. “The president felt that he had to strike first to prevent those mass casualties.”
In a lengthy statement after the House GOP press conference, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt restated many of Johnson’s points.
There are many false claims in this letter but let me address one specifically: that "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation."
This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over.
As President Trump has clearly and…
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 17, 2026
Kent became the first high-ranking Trump official to leave his post based on the president’s war in Iran. Tuesday is his last day as Trump’s counterterrorism head.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote in his resignation letter. “Iran posed no imminent threat …
Is this competence or optics?
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) responded to the resignation of National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent on Tuesday, challenging the departing Trump official’s assertion that Iran “posed no imminent threat” to the United States.
“I don’t know where Joe Kent is getting his information, but he wasn’t in those briefings clearly,” Johnson told reporters at a press conference on Capitol Hill.
The House Republican leader is a member of the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” group, which receives closed-door briefings from the executive branch on classified intelligence and covert operations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio 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.
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 Middle East and abroad.
Rubio and other top officials in the administration, Johnson said, “had exquisite intelligence, and we understood that this was a serious moment for us.”
The potential loss of American lives was a major factor in President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran in “Operation Epic Fury,” the speaker told the press.
“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,” he added. “The president felt that he had to strike first to prevent those mass casualties.”
In a lengthy statement after the House GOP press conference, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt restated many of Johnson’s points.
There are many false claims in this letter but let me address one specifically: that "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation."
This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over.
As President Trump has clearly and…
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 17, 2026
Kent became the first high-ranking Trump official to leave his post based on the president’s war in Iran. Tuesday is his last day as Trump’s counterterrorism head.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote in his resignation letter. “Iran posed no imminent threat …
Johnson reiterates Iran posed an ‘imminent threat’ after counterterrorism director resigns
Is this competence or optics?
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) responded to the resignation of National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent on Tuesday, challenging the departing Trump official’s assertion that Iran “posed no imminent threat” to the United States.
“I don’t know where Joe Kent is getting his information, but he wasn’t in those briefings clearly,” Johnson told reporters at a press conference on Capitol Hill.
The House Republican leader is a member of the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” group, which receives closed-door briefings from the executive branch on classified intelligence and covert operations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio 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.
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 Middle East and abroad.
Rubio and other top officials in the administration, Johnson said, “had exquisite intelligence, and we understood that this was a serious moment for us.”
The potential loss of American lives was a major factor in President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran in “Operation Epic Fury,” the speaker told the press.
“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,” he added. “The president felt that he had to strike first to prevent those mass casualties.”
In a lengthy statement after the House GOP press conference, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt restated many of Johnson’s points.
There are many false claims in this letter but let me address one specifically: that "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation."
This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over.
As President Trump has clearly and…
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 17, 2026
Kent became the first high-ranking Trump official to leave his post based on the president’s war in Iran. Tuesday is his last day as Trump’s counterterrorism head.
“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote in his resignation letter. “Iran posed no imminent threat …
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