Joe Kent

And I promised myself long ago, if I was ever in a position of responsibility or had a way to make my voice heard, that I would be against something like this.

But also what was critical for me

was to really explain to the American people, but really to the president, because I couldn't get through to the president anymore from the inside.

I needed to do it from the outside.

And I truly believe, and really Marco Rubio, President Trump, Speaker of the House, and many other government officials, public statements confirm this.

I truly believe that the Israelis forced our hand in this.

The only thing that was imminent about the operations in Iran was the fact that the Israelis were,

were going to attack the Iranians, setting off a series of events that would get us deeply involved in this war.

So there was no imminent threat posed by Iran itself.

If anything, the Iranians, since President Trump came back into office, they had showed that they were willing to, number one, get to the negotiating table,

Number two, that at times of conflict, they would use a very deliberate escalatory ladder because they took President Trump very, very seriously.

And because, in my personal opinion, I think the data supports this, they did want to reach a deal.

And we can get into all the details there, but that's basically why I felt like at this juncture I needed to resign.

Sure.

So you opened up that statement saying you no longer felt you could get to President Trump.

So who specifically was keeping you away from President Trump or people like you who had those ideas?

Look, I don't want to get into specific people.

I don't want this to become a he said, she said palace intrigue of the Trump administration.

I just feel like there was a wall put up around President Trump so that he was not getting a wide variety of options.

And so he was kind of.