Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned on March 17 over misgivings about the justification for the Trump administration’s ongoing war with Iran.

Kent, an appointee of President Trump and United States special forces and a CIA veteran, is the first significant departure which the Trump administration has experienced due to the war with Iran. 

In his resignation, Kent stated that an “echo chamber” was used “to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States.”

So far, the White House has dismissed Kent’s resignation, with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard refusing to comment on the situation.