Don Thayer

United States Code, Title 4, Section 8, Respect For Flag: @title4/chapter1&edition=prelim" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?pat… The very FIRST sentence: "No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America;"

@DataRepublican Here's where you're wrong, @DataRepublican: They weren't sincere. Strzok didn't text about saving America, he texted about stopping Trump.

Ok, I'm apparently not good at writing parables, because nearly everyone interpreted it wrong. I used a parable because I want to respect others' service records, especially when not all the facts are out yet. So let's pivot to a much more direct analogy. In 2016, career intelligence professionals, people who had genuinely spent their lives fighting America's enemies, became convinced that a foreign power had compromised the incoming president. They had data points. Real ones. Trump had business dealings in Moscow. He said nice things about Putin on camera. People in his orbit had meetings with Russian nationals. A dossier appeared with salacious claims. Each data point individually was... a data point. But they were looking for Russia. So they found Russia. Everywhere. They were so certain they were right that they leaked to the press. They used classification authority to spy on American citizens. They presented unverified opposition research to a FISA court as intelligence. Peter Strzok texted about "insurance policies." Andrew McCabe authorized leaks. They were experienced professionals who genuinely believed the republic was in danger. Their service records were real. Their concern was sincere. And they were wrong.

@FreeStateWill @Shawn_Farash @FreeStateWill, why are you defending this guy? I read his resignation letter. It was a joke.

@Shawn_Farash He hasn't even been charged. Why are you ranting about it based on supposed leaks from the FBI? Shouldn't those agents who leaked about Joe Kent be charged? Besides, the FBI isn't a credible source even if they did leak rumors.

No matter what political side of the aisle you're on, what ideologies or worldviews you align with, or what your past record is filled with when serving the country... Leaking classified information is illegal, and potentially dangerous for our country and those serving. This isn't controversial. It's the law, and a it's matter of National Security. If Joe Kent did indeed leak classified information to Tucker Carlson, or ANYONE ELSE for that matter, and it can be proven that he did so beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, he should face severe consequences for those actions.

@sciam You misspelled "vaccine", @sciam.

We have severely undercounted the number of COVID deaths, scientists say spklr.io/6012EHor4

@dustoff_1sg They aren't, @dustoff_1sg. It's just the anti-Trump position.

How is it possible people are angry at a free Venezuela, a free Iran, or a free Cuba? We live in strange times.

@igorsushko @ianbremmer @azelin Per the US government: $109B disbursed. ukraineoversight.gov/Funding/

@ianbremmer @azelin That number is false. Most of the $180b went toward domestic US weapons production and even munitions factories. Ukraine received about $15.5 billion in arms per year for 3 years, total.

biden total spend on ukraine: $180 billion the pentagon just asked for $200 billion for war in iran.

@SenFettermanPA STOP it, @SenFettermanPA. Illegal immigrants have photo ID. Mail-in ballots can be filled out by Democrats behind closed doors. Proof of citizenship is not negotiable.

83% of Americans agree on voter ID. 71% of Democrats agree on voter ID. Keep it basic: PHOTO ID to vote. Stop turning this into a Christmas list and attacking vote-by-mail. If GOP wants real reform over a show vote––put out a clean, standalone bill and I’m AYE.

@gghamari Yeah, @gghamari, the Media understands. They CHOOSE to ignore it.

Yesterday, Israeli drones targeted and attacked IRGC/Bassij forces that were on their way to shoot and murder Iranians who were peacefully celebrating Chaharshanbeh Suri. I don't think the media or the "experts" have grasped how significant this development truly is.

@joekent16jan19 could have resigned quietly. He CHOSE his method. He picked a side. PUBLICLY.

@MajToure @realmflynnJR So, Joe Kent is sincere in his pro-terrorist regime stance. Good to know.

Here’s what Mike Glover, another SF, dialed in veteran had to say about Joe Kent stepping down. I use Mike’s take here because undoubtedly some of you who have served will AUTOMATICALLY go to “Joe Kent is a traitor” talk. And because you served where others may haven’t, you may think that gives you moral superiority. It does not. So, I present another vet giving a balanced take to remove the attempt to monopolize speech based on service. Let’s hear everyone’s thoughts in the comments.

@kznseagull @jihadwatchRS Of course SOME Muslims can be non-violent, @kznseagull. Others perform the violence FOR them.

@jihadwatchRS Correct my assumption that muslims believing in visions based on sharia and the Islamic world dominance as portrayed by you can be non-violent

Can you provide an actual quote where I ever said “All Muslims are violent”? Thanks in advance!

@mirandadevine His conscience, @mirandadevine, is fighting for a terrorist regime.

Joe Kent is a man of integrity. Whether you agree with him or not, he is acting on his conscience. He is a highly decorated combat veteran and Gold Star husband whose wife was killed in action in Syria in 2019. He has every right to feel the way he does. Thank you for your service @joekent16jan19

@Snakeeater36 Yeah, @Snakeeater36, this isn't just kind of disagreeing with the course of something. This is publicly advocating for a terrorist regime that has killed Americans.

Yea kids, a known quantity (and legend) in GWOT SOF who spent more time killing assholes than you have on the phone, who sacrificed and lost more than you can honestly fathom in service to this country is “totally a traitor”…….for leaving his position because he personally disagrees with the course of something. It is totally possible to disagree with what they are saying, yet still fully understand their reasoning and obligation to a personal moral code.

@sarahadams @sarahadams, You lose a LOT of credibility with your first sentence here. "Counter-terrorism chief resigns over fighting terrorism" has no defense.

I’m frustrated by the resignation of the NCTC Director Kent at a moment when the threat environment demands steadiness, but first I wish him well. These are difficult roles with real consequences, and transitions like this should not come at the expense of continuity in our counterterrorism posture. We have a serious problem, and we need a steady hand at the helm to confront it directly. There are two larger issues that have been discussed around his resignation that cannot be ignored. First, Iran has been the primary state sponsor of terrorism for nearly 50 years. That is not a talking point, it is a foundational reality that has shaped the modern counterterrorism fight. Other actors matter, including al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the Muslim Brotherhood, but Iran has consistently been a central driver, a persistent threat, and a key force behind the scale of terrorism we face today. Second, we cannot afford to rewrite the origins or evolution of conflicts like Syria. I watched how that war began in real-time, with foreign fighter returnees from jihadist battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan mobilizing others to join them in efforts to topple Bashar al-Assad. I saw fighters leaving places like Derna and Benghazi to join that fight. These terrorists led the early phases of the war in Syria long before outside powers like U.S. or Israel developed strategies or showed meaningful concern. Groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS were not byproducts of the conflict, they were architects of it. They bear responsibility, and we should not obscure that. In later years, as external powers became more involved, particularly Russia and the U.S., the focus drifted. Strategic competition began to overshadow core counterterrorism objectives. That shift created space for terrorist groups to adapt, regroup, and believe they could outlast us. And in many ways, they have. Just months ago, more than 3,000 hardened ISIS fighters, some with prior ties to al-Qaeda and al-Nusrah Front, were freed from detention in Syria. Approximately half of those released in Syria have already showed up in Afghanistan saying they were ready to work with the Bin Laden sons in the next 25 year phase of al-Qaeda’s jihad on America. This is how it works they move to the next battlefield. We cannot afford revisionist history when it comes to our terrorist enemies. These networks are patient, adaptive, and committed. They are not sleeping, they are planning, and many of those plans are aimed at our homeland. The priority now is not narrative, it is readiness. We either confront this threat honestly, or we deal with the consequences later.

Let’s see if I understand this. The head of the National Counterterrorism Center is displeased that world’s biggest sponsor of global terrorism is being neutralized. Counterterrorism. Right? Wasn’t his job to prevent and mitigate terrorist attacks? Maybe he should ask Iranians how they feel. Or the families of the American hostages who have been killed how they feel. What a total failure of a human being.

@teamfroglogic @CleanDNA_2 After Cuba, @teamfroglogic. So you have a problem with that too?

@CleanDNA_2 Who’s next. North Korea?

And there you have it. Joe is the most respected man in the entire Trump government. That fact that this dedicated patriot (war hero) openly admitted Iran was NOT an imminent threat is proof that the US is once again operating for the benefit of the political and economic elites. We are a captured nation, from within. Thank you @joekent16jan19 for your absolute integrity and courage. Godspeed @ShawnRyan762 @joerogan @jockowillink @EvanHafer @AndyStumpf77 @TulsiGabbard

@teamfroglogic Yeah, @teamfroglogic, Kent didn't actually say "Iran is not a threat...", did he? He chose his words carefully - "Iran posed no IMMINENT threat to our NATION".

@SteamboatSun22 @BuzzPatterson Exactly.

What is "an imminent threat to our nation"? Well, dropping a nuke on Israel would be an imminent threat to our nation. Having said nukes is an imminent threat, as they give their weapons to "proxies" to do damage to us. They have repeatedly called for both the destruction of Israel and the US. So starting "negotiations" with we have enough enriched uranium to build 11 nukes, doesn't consist of a threat to the US. Sure. Recent Attacks (October 2023 - Nov 2024): Iran-backed groups conducted more than 180 attacks against U.S. forces in the Middle East, resulting in several deaths, including three service members killed in Jordan in January 2024.

There’s more to the Joe Kent story than meets the eye. According to friends, apparently, Joe leaked intelligence under the nose of the Secretary of War. As a result, his access to classified information was removed several weeks ago. He’s not stepping down due to his allegiance to integrity, he’s being forced to leave.

@drsuffy THAT is the issue, @drsuffy - the coordination. The world doesn't work that way.

Idk man, it's just weird as hell that the entire western world, even Japan, is just all in on harboring barbarically violent tribal third worlders regardless of the people's wants and needs It's weird as hell to watch ultra racist nations go all in on bending over backwards for third worlders seemingly out of nowhere all together at the same time.

@HansMahncke No, @HansMahncke.

This is one of those moments where you can strongly disagree with what’s being said and still not only defend the right to say it, but genuinely respect the person, both for who they are and for doing the honorable thing. This is how public discourse ought to work.

@smcroasters @LauraLoomer @NCTCKent Fuck off, @smcroasters.

@LauraLoomer @NCTCKent If you take a tactical pause and realize every take Laura has is rooted in deep envy of women prettier than her, her schizopoasting begins to make sense.

NEW: 🚨 Wife of the Director of National Counterterrorism Center Retweets Attacks on President Trump’s Iran Strikes While US Service Members Are Overseas🚨 Joe Kent is the Director of the National Counter Terrorism Center @NCTCKent. I’d like to remind everyone that Joe Kent’s new wife, @HeatherKaiserWA Heather Kaiser, used to work for Max Blumenthal and @TheGrayzoneNews. Today, Joe Kent’s wife Heather has been spending the entire day retweeting attacks on President Trump’s strikes on Iran. This is not acceptable. Our enemies are watching closely and there needs to be more discretion. Will Tulsi Gabbard and @joekent16jan19 Joe Kent disavow this post by @MaxBlumenthal? Max Blumenthal spends all of his time attacking President Trump and accusing the Trump admin of being controlled by Israel. His father is Sidney Blumenthal, a longtime aide to Bill and Hillary Clinton. In the post below, Blumenthal is attacking @SusieWiles @marcorubio and CIA Director @CIADirector John Ratcliffe. RECEIPTS 👇🏻