As he prepares for a confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Joe Kent’s comments skeptical of U.S. strikes on the Houthis could be a subject of debate for Senate Republicans.

In a Signal chat inadvertently shared with the Atlantic editor-in-chief about plans for U.S. strikes on the Houthis, Kent — under consideration to lead the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) — appeared to argue against the strikes, describing them as non-time sensitive and suggesting that Israel would undertake strikes in the U.S.’ place.

Despite not yet being confirmed, Kent has reportedly been working at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as chief of staff to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard as he awaits his as-yet-unscheduled confirmation hearings.

In the Signal chat, minutes after Vice President JD Vance sent a message describing the plans to strike as a “mistake,” Kent chimed in in apparent agreement: “There is nothing time sensitive driving the time line. We’ll have the exact same options in a month.”

“The Israelis will likely take strikes & therefore ask us for more support to replenish whatever they use against the Houthis. But that’s a minor factor,” Kent continued.

Gabbard had designated Kent as the point of contact for her agency in planning the strikes.

Though he has expressed support for the U.S.-Israel relationship, Kent’s hesitance about the Houthi strike seems consistent with his past calls for the U.S. to pull back from the Middle East.

“The U.S. must cease its cumbersome nation building efforts to address the terror threat from the region while refocusing on major threats posed by Russia and Iran. The U.S. can accomplish this by exploiting existing local conflicts to fulfill counter-terror objectives while bogging Iran and Russia down in conflicts they cannot sustain,” Kent wrote in a 2020 article. “To achieve this the U.S. must move its operations out of the limelight of military action and diplomacy into the shadows of covert action.”

Kent has also been critical of AIPAC, saying that the pro-Israel lobbying group’s endorsees cannot be relied upon to put their constituents first. His links to white nationalists and other extremists have also raised concerns for Jewish groups about his nomination.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said that she wants to speak with Kent to get clarity on his views on Israel, which she described as a concern. “Well, I strongly believe that striking the Houthis was the right thing to do. I want to talk to him again, generally,” Collins told JI.

Asked if she was aware of his positions on the Middle East, Collins replied, “Well, that’s why I want to talk to him again, frankly, because that’s very disturbing to me that I’ve heard that, but I need to talk to him directly.”

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), also an Intelligence Committee member, said he’d spoken to Kent in recent days, but that their conversation had focused largely on bureaucratic issues of how the NCTC should fit within the broader intelligence and national security apparatus, rather than specific policy issues.

Another Intelligence Committee member said they had not yet begun considering Kent’s nomination.