#291 Joe Kent - His Message to President Trump on Ending the War With Iran

“The Israelis will have their objectives. They will convince senior American officials that this is also their objectives. And if the Americans don't agree, then the Israelis will set off a series of actions that make us react. And the next thing you know, we're having to contribute our blood and our treasure. And that same playbook is playing out now. I referenced the Iraq War and what happened in Syria in my letter, because this is the same playbook we've seen over and over again.”

“I just felt like we weren't being effective anymore. And so for me, it's like I don't want to stay just because I have a title or some degree of prestige. I want to stay for the mission. I had said to myself years ago, if I was ever in a position to prevent us from getting involved in a quagmire, I wouldn't be quiet about it. I would say something about it. So that weighed heavily on me because I couldn't be a part of it once the coffins started coming back from overseas to Dover.”

“Just minutes before Trump's announcement of talks with Iran, massive traders hit the market. In one move, 1.5 billion in S&P 500 futures were purchased. This trade was so large, it sent the entire index 0.3% higher that exact minute. 192 million in oil futures were also sold. These orders were four to six times larger than anything else at that time. Whoever made those trades made $60 billion. I wonder if that was insider trading from Congress, the administration, or the Senate.”

“I truly believe that the way the president was influenced by the media, but then also by Israeli government officials, and the way that decision-making took place was in a compartmentalized environment. It was compartmentalized in the sense that the president didn't have much in terms of people giving him alternative viewpoints. Our country was in a bad spot, and the most effective thing that I could do was resign publicly to draw attention to it.”

“Do you know Israel spent 6.4 billion on this war since March? Do you know how much the US has spent? Approximately 18 to 25 billion with another request for another 200 billion from Congress. Now, why the fuck are we the ones paying the bill for this? The Israelis will have their objectives, they'll convince senior American officials it's our objective, and the next thing you know we are the ones contributing the treasure.”