Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent's criticism of President Donald Trump was motivated by "personal glory," Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, told Newsmax Wednesday.
Kent resigned earlier this month, citing his concerns about the justification for military strikes in Iran and saying he "cannot in good conscience" back the Trump administration's war.
In an appearance on "Greg Kelly Reports," Gill characterized Kent's remarks as self-serving and questioned the intent behind his public criticism of the president.
"It's very unusual to write a letter the way he did, criticizing the administration in the manner that he did, if it's not for publicity," he said. "You have some people who for whatever reason, for personal glory or out of vanity, want to try to attack him for that.
"I strongly disagree with that."
Gill praised Trump's record, calling him "the most successful foreign policy president we've had since Ronald Reagan." He cited "success after success after success" in regions including Venezuela and the Middle East.
On domestic policy, he criticized Democrats for the partial government shutdown, saying they "want to continue to defund" the Department of Homeland Security because "they don't want the president deporting illegal aliens."
"Whenever we look out and we see illegal aliens, they see voters. That's the fundamental problem," Gill said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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