Joe Kent waves to a supporter at Clark County Republican Party headquarters on July 31, 2024. President Donald Trump nominated Kent to be his next director for the National Counter Terrorism Center on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.
Troy Brynelson / OPB
President Donald Trump has nominated former Washington state congressional candidate Joe Kent to be the next director of the National Counter Terrorism Center.
Trump announced Kent’s nomination Monday on Truth Social.
“As a Soldier, Green Beret, and CIA Officer, Joe has hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire adult life,” read the post.
Last year, Trump endorsed Kent in his race for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. The Republican failed to unseat Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who was elected to her second term in Congress. Gluesenkamp Perez also defeated Kent for the same congressional seat in 2022 after he successfully won a primary over Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Republican who had long represented Southwest Washington but fell out of favor with Trump after voting to impeach him for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
A screenshot of President Donald Trump's post on Truth Social on Feb. 3, 2025. Trump has nominated former Washington state congressional candidate Joe Kent to be the next director of the National Counter Terrorism Center.
Screenshot/Truth Social
Kent ran a 2024 campaign aligned with Trump’s national priorities of the Republican Party, including securing the southern U.S. border.
Washington State Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad released a statement Monday in response to Kent’s nomination.
“Washington knows that Joe Kent was the wrong choice for Congress and he’s a destructive choice to lead the National Counterterrorism Center. Someone who called for defunding the FBI and promotes conspiracy theories cannot be trusted with our national security,” Conrad said in the statement. “Joe Kent’s extreme record and total willingness to pave over constitutional rights at Trump’s request should disqualify him for any position in our government.”
Kent did not immediately return a request for comment.