Joe Kent, the recently-resigned US counter-terror chief, has claimed he was blocked from investigating Charlie Kirk's assassination.
Mr Kent said an investigation by his National Counterterrorism Centre into Mr Kirk's death was blocked by the FBI.
Though the former Trump official admitted he was not personally close with Mr Kirk, he said the Turning Point USA founder had supported him during his two Congressional campaigns in 2022 and 2024.
In an interview with political commentator Tucker Carlson, he claimed Mr Kirk was "one of President Trump's closest advisors and also advocated heavily against the war on Iran".
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He said he last saw Mr Kirk in June 2025, where the political commentator told him "Joe, stop us from getting into a war with Iran".
He claimed there was "linkage" to foreign sources he was unable to investigate in relation to the September 2025 assassination at Utah Valley University, but was blocked by Kash Patel's FBI.
"The investigation that the National Counterterrorism Centre was a part of, we were stopped from continuing to investigate," Mr Kent said.
He added: "There was still a lot for us to look into that I can't really get into, but there was still linkage for us to investigate that we needed to run down."
Charlie Kirk told Joe Kent to prevent the US from going into war with Iran, the former counterterrorism head claimed
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Mr Patel was alarmed by the counterterrorism probe, The New York Times reported in October 2025.
He and other senior intelligence officials believed Mr Kent was overstepping in his investigation to determine if the alleged assassin of Mr Kirk was linked to a foreign power or other entity.
"One of President Trump’s closest advisors was vocally advocating for us to not go to war with Iran and for us to rethink, at least, our relationship with the Israelis," Mr Kent told Mr Carlson.
"And then he's suddenly publicly assassinated and we’re not allowed to ask any questions about that?"
Tyler Robinson, 22, is alleged to have assassinated Mr Kirk at Utah Valley University, and is charged with seven offences, including felony aggravated murder.
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Joe Kent has said there is more 'linkage' he was not able to investigate in relation to Charlie Kirk's assassination | GETTYHe is set to go to trial on May 18, after Charlie's wife Erika Kirk filed a speedy trial motion in January.
Sources said Mr Patel was troubled that Mr Kent's National Counterterrorism Centre was going through FBI material related to the case.
He reportedly raised these concerns in a high-level White House meeting with Mr Kent himself, Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard - Mr Kent's direct superior at the time, and top Department of Justice officials.
In a 2025 statement, Mr Patel and Ms Gabbard said: "The F.B.I. and intelligence community under the direction of President Trump will leave no stone unturned in the investigation of the assassination of our friend, Charlie Kirk."
Mr Kent resigned from his role as head of the National Counterterrorism Centre in a statement where he claimed Israel created an "echo chamber" which influenced Donald Trump to go to war with Iran.
Kash Patel, FBI director, was troubled by Joe Kent's overstepping in his role
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He is currently under investigation from the FBI for allegedly leaking classified information, according to Semafor.
A combat veteran of 11 tours, he said in a social media statement he could not "support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people".
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt rebuffed the claim Iran did not pose an imminent threat on social media.
She said the claim that Iran posed no imminent threat was a lie repeated by "Democrats and some in the liberal media", and the President ultimately determines what "does and does not constitute a threat".
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