NOW PLAYING
Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall is “gonna sue” the Trump administration after the Pentagon revoked his security clearance last week over accusations he disclosed classified information to the media.
The Defense Department on Friday pulled Kendall’s eligibility for access to classified information as well as his “ability to hold any sensitive position,” accusing him of revealing classified information regarding Air Force One’s capabilities, according to a post to X by top Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
Speaking on CNN Monday evening, Kendall said he only became aware of the administration’s decision after Parnell posted about it to social media.
“I was initially mystified, because I couldn’t think of anything I’d ever said that was classified, and I had tried very hard not to say anything classified and was quite sure I had not,” Kendall told Erin Burnett on “OutFront.”
Kendall’s security clearance was pulled after he spoke to The New York Times last month on safety concerns with the new Air Force One converted from a gifted Qatari luxury jet. Kendall warned the retrofitted plane had “a lot of shortfalls” compared with the older aircraft used as Air Force One and posed “a measure of risk.”
In that report, the Times found that the Secret Service advised President Trump not to leave a NATO Summit in Turkey on the Qatari-gifted plane, as it did not possess the same defensive countermeasures as the older Air Force One, like advanced antimissile capabilities.
In a new revelation, The Washington Post reported Monday that Trump secretly flew out of Ankara on an alternate military aircraft while the White House said he was aboard Air Force One — an extraordinary operation carried out unbeknownst to reporters and some White House staff members who thought they were on the same plane as the president.
“I don’t know anything about that airplane,” Kendall said of the Qatari jet now serving as Air Force One. “I have made the observation that an airplane that you’ve spent one year on and $400 million will not be as capable as an airplane you spend five years on and $2 billion. That’s inherently obvious.”
Kendall said he believes the administration targeted him as he’s been a very vocal critic since he left office. Kendall served as the Air Force secretary from 2021 to 2025 during the Biden administration.
“I’m gonna sue them. That’s what’s next for me,” Kendall said of next steps. “What happens to me is not terribly important. This does not have an enormous impact on me. I will lose some income because of it, and I will lose some opportunities because of it, but, you know, this is one of over a hundred cases where our government has taken away people’s security clearances very arbitrarily, often for political reasons, as a way to attack political enemies, apparently.”
Kendall added that he’s already hired Mark Zaid as an attorney and is confident that there was no legitimate basis to remove his clearance and no due process provided to him.
“Nobody from the government ever talked to me about this. Nobody asked me any questions. I have no idea what they think I said. I’ve had no opportunity to defend myself. Those are just basic due process rights that we should all have as Americans,” he said.
Add as preferred source on Google Tags Frank Kendall Sean ParnellCopyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Comments: Link copiedMore Defense News
See All
Administration Trump lashes out after liberal think tank says National Guard deployments did not reduce violent crime by Ryan Mancini 1 hour ago Administration / 1 hour ago 
