President Donald Trump has nominated Yacolt Republican Joe Kent, who misplaced two bids to signify Washington’s third Congressional District, to turn out to be director of the Nationwide Counterterrorism Middle.
The middle operates underneath the Workplace of the Director of Nationwide Intelligence and serves as the first hub for counterterrorism, the place companies together with the FBI, CIA and Homeland Safety share intelligence. It maintains a nationwide repository of identified and suspected terrorists.
“As a Soldier, Green Beret, and CIA Officer, Joe has hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire adult life,” Trump wrote on Fact Social on Monday.
Kent enlisted within the U.S. Military at 18 and served for 20 years, deploying 11 instances earlier than changing into a discipline operative for the CIA.
Trump talked about Kent’s spouse, Shannon Kent, a Navy cryptologic technician who was killed by an Islamic State group suicide bombed in northeastern Syria in 2019.
Kent, a single father to a child and toddler after his spouse died, started defending Trump’s overseas coverage within the media.
“Pointless or unwinnable wars are the highest form of disrespect,” Kent wrote in an NBC opinion piece.
“Joe continues to honor her legacy by staying in the fight,” Trump wrote. “Joe will help us keep America safe by eradicating all terrorism, from the jihadists around the World, to the cartels in our backyard.”
Kent ran for Congress towards incumbent Republican Herrera Higher in 2022, criticizing her vote to question Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol assault. He defended the unsubstantiated declare that the 2020 election was a fraud, supporting election audits and dissolving mail-in voting. Trump endorsed him.
In 2022 and 2024, Kent misplaced to Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Skamania County. Nonetheless, he obtained help from Trump and U.S. Speaker of the Home Mike Johnson on the marketing campaign path.
On Fb, Kent thanked Trump for the nomination.
“It’s an honor to serve our nation again, time to keep our nation safe & strong!” he wrote.