Steady State Letter To Ssci Regarding

The Steady State

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 9, 2025

Washington, D.C. — The Steady State, a nonpartisan coalition of over 280 former national security professionals, today released a letter addressed to Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) Chairman Tom Cotton and Vice Chairman Mark Warner expressing strong opposition to the nomination of Joe Kent as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).

In the letter, The Steady State calls on SSCI to conduct comprehensive hearings into Mr. Kent’s record, citing credible and extensive reporting on his associations with white supremacist figures, propagation of election-related conspiracy theories, and—most alarmingly—his attempts to politicize intelligence while serving as Acting Chief of Staff to the Director of National Intelligence.“Mr. Kent’s actions are fundamentally at odds with the core principles of intelligence. He should not—and cannot—be trusted to guide NCTC in its mission to provide the best, most accurate intelligence to our policymakers,” the letter states.

The letter highlights recent reports that Mr. Kent attempted to pressure senior intelligence officials to alter assessments regarding Venezuelan links to the Tren de Aragua gang in a manner aligning with then-President Trump’s public statements. The Steady State describes such conduct as a “cardinal sin” in the intelligence community and argues that, if substantiated, it is disqualifying.

The Steady State concludes the letter by urging the Committee to reject Mr. Kent’s nomination, writing: “Mr. Kent’s statements, affiliations, and conduct have no place in the senior leadership of the U.S. Government. We strongly urge you to deny this nomination.”

Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 280 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.