During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) questioned Joseph Kent, nominee to be Director of the National Counterterrorism Center at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
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00:00Thank you. Vice Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Again, gentlemen, thank you for your willingness to serve again. Mr. Kent, you're currently an acting Chief of Staff to Director Gabbard, right? Yes, Senator. Was Director Gabbard consulted before General Huck was fired as NSA Director? I was not aware of any conversations that took place, but that doesn't mean they didn't happen.
00:24Okay. I just feel like if she wasn't, I just would be even further concerned that you were taking a 30-year career veteran that had, I believe, almost uniform support, and I think the firing was uncalled for, and I would be concerned if the Director hadn't been notified.
00:44Mr. Kent, we talked about this before, but I just want to go through it again. You participated in the group chat that was subject of the Atlantic article published by Jeffrey Goldberg on March 24, 2025, correct?
00:57Was I in the chat? Yes. I was, Senator. Yeah. You were in the chat, yes. I was. Yes, sir. Did you use a personal phone or a government phone during that chat?
01:08There's currently ongoing litigation, Senator, so I really can't give any more details.
01:11I'm pretty disappointed by that answer. I'm just asking whether you, do you, what about this? Do you know whether your device has been actually taken and scanned for any malware that might have been put into it?
01:23We followed all the security procedures and took all security precautions.
01:31You took all security procedures and did everything appropriate.
01:34Again, I don't question your patriotism commitment, but I find that an astounding answer.
01:45I mean, there have been reports that there were 20 other group chats that Director Walts had that included subjects like Ukraine, China, Gaza.
01:56Were you involved in any of those chats?
01:57I was not.
01:58So any of the other 20 that have been reported, you were not, you didn't participate at all?
02:04Like I said, Senator, there's ongoing litigation about this right now, so there's really not much more I can say.
02:16Has anyone with classification authority reviewed the information?
02:22I don't have to read through the comments you made in that chat, but others.
02:25I mean, again, you're stating before this committee that information relaying the timing of an attack from American forces that if it had been discovered could have cost our pilots' lives,
02:44you're still making the statement that none of that was classified?
02:48There was no classified information in the chat, and the chat and all the circumstances around it are currently under ongoing litigation,
02:55so there's not much I can say, Senator.
02:58Well, again, as I said at the outset, I don't doubt your patriotism, but I really doubt your judgment on that.
03:04I just, I'll go to you, Mr. Lucas.
03:08You also said, and I was really kind of astounded in your pre-questioning hearing, quote,
03:15based on your experience, the information presented in the media related to the Atlantic article could be reasonably have been deemed unclassified.
03:23You've been a CIA agent a long time.
03:25Are you familiar with other times when a defense secretary was willing to share impending military operations on unsecured devices before the operations took place?
03:40Thank you, Senator.
03:42I'm a career intelligence officer.
03:44I'm not a military officer, so I have not been privy to any war plans in any form, classified or unclassified, so that's really not a question.
03:52If you, as a CIA officer, had released this kind of information or put it on an unsecured device, wouldn't you have been reprimanded or fired?
04:04Senator, really, all I can say is that both the White House and the Department of Defense have said that the information in that chat had not gone through a classification process.
04:12I have no reason to doubt that, so otherwise I...
04:16So giving out, sir, I mean, again, I respect your service, but giving out on an unsecured commercial connected device information that relays the specifics of an American attack on a foreign adversary,
04:34that if it had gotten out, I would love both of you gentlemen to come down to Virginia Beach and meet with the 800-plus Virginians who I met with,
04:46who many of them knew sailors on the Truman, and the crowd was 90% veterans.
04:55Gentlemen, your answers would not stand, they would hoot you out of the room when that kind of information is so carelessly handled.
05:04And again, I can't believe any of the three of you would have on your own ever done this,
05:12and I find it really disappointing that you're still standing by the flimsy, careless behavior and somehow depending it.
05:19Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
05:20Senator Collins.
05:22Thank you, Mr. Chairman.