The Senate confirms the conspiracy theorist with links with extreme right -wing for the contracterrorist work

Washington – You can’t invent it, friends. The Senate Republicans voted on Wednesday night to confirm Joe Kent, a conspiracy theorist with alarming ties with white nationalists and extreme right groups, to lead the National Center against Terrorism.

Kent was confirmed, 52-44. All Republicans, but one, Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, voted for him. Each present Democrat opposed him.

A former paramilitary officer of the CIA and a Congress candidate twice retired by President Donald Trump, Kent has regularly aligned with extreme right extremists.

During his campaign for a seat in Congress in the state of Washington, Kent spoke with the white nationalist Nick Fuentes about helping him with his social media strategy. He gave an interview with the Nazi Greyson Arnold supporter, who has a story of making racist and anti -Semitic statements, including describing Adolf Hitler as “a complicated historical figure that many people misunderstand.” He has minimized the extremism of neo -fascist proud children, whose leaders were convicted of sedicious conspiracy related to the insurrection of January 6, 2021. He grouped the Black Lives Matter movement with “Children’s and posters traffic rings”, saying that they should face “federal charges of terrorism.”

Kent has also promoted the dangerous conspiracy theories, including the false statement that the 2020 presidential elections were “manipulated” and “stolen” by Trump, and that the FBI was involved in carrying out the insurrection of January 6. He also falsely said that the secret service was “on” the attempt to murder last year against Trump.

Via News

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA.), The main Democrat in the Senate Intelligence Committee, firmly opposed Kent’s nomination. On Wednesday, he warned his colleagues that Congress received “clear written evidence” in May that Kent, when he was head of the Cabinet of the director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, tried to manipulate intelligence to coincide with a political narrative promoted by Trump.

“His efforts to alter intelligence evaluations in support of demonstrably false political statements is not only a serious violation of the solemn responsibility with which the intelligence community is charged, which is to tell the truth to power regardless of politics, but is also a threat to our ability to maintain the safe nation,” Warner said in a statement.

“When intelligence is formed to adapt to political agendas instead of hard acts, it persecutes decision makers to real threats, sows confusion among our allies and emboldene to our adversaries,” he said.

Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Which represents Kent’s home state, said many of her actions are “completely disqualified” for leading the agency responsible for collecting intelligence to protect the country from terrorist threats. She highlighted her conspiracies about the attack of the Capitol of January 6, which was prompted by Trump while watching from the White House.

“Do you want to know who in the federal government was behind the insurrection? What if we start with the man in the White House that promised to march to the Capitol with them?” Murray said in a burning speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday. “What if we start with the president, who calls the patriots of the fuss?” What if we start with the guy who forgave the violent police drivers, in mass?

She added: “If you cannot be honest with the American people around January 6, you have no business that you trust the protection of our democracy. It should be that simple.”