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PM|Afternoon UpdateTuesday, March 17, 2026 at 4:56 PM9 min read

Trump's Own Counterterrorism Chief Just Quit — His 3-Word Reason Is Everywhere

Q: What was the TrumpMeter score for Tuesday, March 17, 2026?

The TrumpMeter score was 9/10. A Trump-appointed counterterrorism chief publicly resigned over the Iran war, Congress voted on a War Powers challenge for the first time, a new EO launched a multi-state fraud investigation, and a sealed 165-page federal brief was made public — all in one afternoon cycle.

Joe Kent, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned today saying he "cannot in good conscience" support the ongoing war in Iran — the most senior internal break yet.

Chaos Index

9/10

MAXIMUM CHAOS

A Trump-appointed counterterrorism chief publicly resigned over the Iran war, Congress voted on a War Powers challenge for the first time, a new EO launched a multi-state fraud investigation, and a sealed 165-page federal brief was made public — all in one afternoon cycle.

Key Developments

A combat veteran with 11 deployments just walked out of one of the most sensitive jobs in the U.S. government.

Joe Kent — Trump's own pick to lead the National Counterterrorism Center — announced his resignation today, effective immediately.

His reason? **Four words: "the ongoing war in Iran."**

"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran," Kent wrote in his resignation statement, posted publicly on X.

That's not a Democratic congressman saying that.

That's not a protestor outside the White House.

That's a man who spent his career hunting terrorists, who was personally nominated by Donald Trump, walking out the door over this conflict.

Kent didn't stop there.

According to posts spreading across X, he also stated that Iran **"posed no imminent threat to our nation"** — a direct challenge to the justification the administration has used for military action.

Think about what that means for a second.

The Director of the National Counterterrorism Center — the person whose entire job is to assess threats to America — is saying the threat wasn't there.

Stories Driving the News

Brief #1BREAKING▼ BEARISH

10/10

Trump's Own Terrorism Chief Had 11 Deployments — Then Quit Over This

Joe Kent didn't just resign from a government job today. He lit a flare over the Trump administration's Iran policy from inside the building. Kent — a decorated Green Beret with 11 combat deployments and Trump's personally nominated Director of the National Counterterrorism Center — announced his resignation effective immediately, posting a public statement on X that read: **"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran."** He went further, according to posts spreading across X, stating that Iran "posed no imminent threat to our nation" — a direct repudiation of the administration's stated rationale for military action. Let that sink in. The man whose entire job was to assess existential threats to America just told the public: the threshold wasn't met. That's not a talking point from the opposition. That's a credentialed national security official who was vetted and confirmed by the Senate — walking out and explaining why. Times Now confirmed the resignation, quoting Kent's statement directly. Posts from multiple high-engagement accounts on X amplified the news within minutes of it breaking [1][2][3]. The resignation also raises an immediate practical question: **who is now running the National Counterterrorism Center** during an active military conflict? Here's why this matters to you: Kent's departure creates a credibility problem for the administration at a critical moment. If the U.S. is in an ongoing military conflict, and the official tasked with justifying the threat just publicly said the threat wasn't imminent — that argument will echo in Congress, in courtrooms, and in the War Powers debate now heating up on Capitol Hill.

[1][2][3]

Brief #2POLICY◆ MIXED

8/10

Trump Signs Anti-Fraud EO — Vance Gets Investigative Power Over 2 States

In the Oval Office today, President Trump signed a new Executive Order creating the **Task Force to Eliminate Fraud** — and handed the chairmanship directly to Vice President JD Vance. According to multiple posts on X, the task force is designed to coordinate government-wide efforts to combat waste, abuse, and outright theft from federal benefit programs. Two states appear to be squarely in the crosshairs: California and Minnesota. Carl DeMaio, a California political figure, posted that the task force will investigate fraud specifically in California — and said Governor Gavin Newsom "should be worried" [11]. A separate post confirmed the order also targets Minnesota, with the administration arguing federal dollars have been improperly distributed there as well [12]. This didn't come out of nowhere. DOGE — Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency — released seven full years of Medicaid spending data today (2018–2024), making it publicly searchable for the first time, according to Newsmax [21]. The administration's message is deliberate: they want the public looking at the numbers before Congress has a chance to push back. **Musk has previously estimated there could be up to $1 trillion in fraud** across federal spending — a figure DustinOlson highlighted on Newsmax's Sunday Report [23]. Here's why this matters to you: if you receive any federal benefits — Medicaid, housing assistance, food programs — this task force now has the White House's full authority to audit those programs. Supporters say it protects taxpayer money. Critics argue it could be used to cut legitimate benefits under the banner of fraud prevention. The fight over what counts as "fraud" is just beginning.

[1][2]

Brief #3LEGAL● NEUTRAL

7/10

165 Pages. Heavily Redacted. Jack Smith's Case Just Moved Again

The federal election case against Donald Trump was supposed to be dead. It isn't. Judge Tanya Chutkan unsealed a **165-page brief from DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith** today, exploring how much of the original 2020 election indictment can survive the Supreme Court's landmark immunity ruling, according to NowThis Impact [42]. The brief is partially redacted — meaning significant portions of the legal argument remain hidden from the public. But here's the key: the fact that it's being unsealed at all signals that this case is still being actively managed in court, not quietly buried. The Supreme Court's 2024 ruling in Trump v. United States granted presidents broad immunity for official acts — but left open the question of what exactly qualifies as an "official" act versus a private one. Smith's 165-page brief is essentially a map of how prosecutors believe they can draw that line. **Some charges may survive. Others may not.** The redacted sections likely contain the most sensitive legal strategy. It's worth noting: this is a development from the previous briefing cycle, but today's unsealing is a new and concrete step — not a rumor, not a leak, but a federal judge making documents public in an active case. Here's why this matters to you: whatever your view of the case, the legal question of which presidential actions are immune from prosecution will set precedent for every future president — not just Trump. The answer Chutkan and the appellate courts eventually reach will reshape the boundaries of executive power for decades.

[1][2]

Brief #4ECONOMY▲ BULLISH

6/10

SEC and CFTC Just Launched a 'Sprint' That Could Reshape Your Crypto Portfolio

The Trump administration just took one of its most concrete steps yet toward making the United States the dominant force in global cryptocurrency. The SEC and CFTC announced a joint **"crypto sprint"** — a fast-track regulatory process aimed at clarifying the rules for digital assets across the board, according to multiple posts on X tracking financial regulation. Simultaneously, Trump tapped Michael Selig — an insider from the SEC's own crypto task force — to chair the CFTC, the agency that would become the primary federal regulator of digital assets under the administration's proposed framework [74]. That's a significant signal. Selig knows where the regulatory bodies are buried. Putting him in charge of the CFTC suggests the administration wants someone who can move fast and speak fluently with the industry. SEC Chair Paul Atkins also backed the push for regulatory clarity, moving away from what JD Vance previously called "regulation by enforcement" — the practice of punishing crypto companies without first establishing clear rules [78][82]. The White House released what's being described as a comprehensive crypto roadmap, pushing Congress to establish formal rules, calling on the SEC to greenlight digital asset trading platforms, and proposing new tax frameworks [81]. **The CFTC's crypto sprint is being structured in two phases:** Phase 1 covers spot Bitcoin and crypto trading under federal oversight. Phase 2 addresses leverage products and retail investor protections. Here's why this matters to you: if you own any cryptocurrency — Bitcoin, Ethereum, or anything else — the regulatory framework being built right now will determine whether your holdings are treated like securities, commodities, or something else entirely. That classification affects taxes, trading access, and legal protections. The decisions being made this month will matter for years.

[1]

Brief #5POLICY◆ MIXED

8/10

Senate's First War Powers Vote on Iran Just Set Up a Showdown With Trump

Congress is done watching from the sidelines. The Senate took its first procedural vote on a War Powers Resolution targeting Trump's military operations in Iran — **the first time Congress has formally voted on the conflict**, according to a post on X tracking Capitol Hill [36][37]. The vote sets up final consideration of the bill in the Senate next week, with the House expected to take up a companion measure shortly after. The War Powers Resolution, originally passed in 1973, requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing U.S. forces to armed conflict — and limits military engagements to 60 days without congressional authorization. The administration has not sought a formal Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) from Congress for operations against Iran. That's the core of the dispute. Republicans voted to block the bill in the procedural vote, according to reporting on X — but the fact that it advanced this far signals that at least some lawmakers are willing to put their names on the record [36]. **The resignation of Joe Kent — the National Counterterrorism Center director — adds significant weight to the congressional argument** that the legal and intelligence justification for the conflict was insufficient. Here's why this matters to you: the War Powers debate is fundamentally about who decides when America goes to war — the president alone, or the president and Congress together. The outcome of this vote won't end the conflict. But if the resolution passes, it creates a formal legal challenge to how this war was started — and forces Trump to either seek congressional approval or openly defy it.

[1][2]

Trump's Own Counterterrorism Chief Just Quit — His 3-Word Reason Is Everywhere

Key Developments

Stories Driving the News

Trump's Own Terrorism Chief Had 11 Deployments — Then Quit Over This

Trump Signs Anti-Fraud EO — Vance Gets Investigative Power Over 2 States

165 Pages. Heavily Redacted. Jack Smith's Case Just Moved Again

SEC and CFTC Just Launched a 'Sprint' That Could Reshape Your Crypto Portfolio

Senate's First War Powers Vote on Iran Just Set Up a Showdown With Trump

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

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