Pentagon revokes former Air Force secretary's access to classified information
The Hill · C · trust 78/100
Comments: by Filip Timotija and Ellen Mitchell - 08/07/26 8:25 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Filip Timotija and Ellen Mitchell - 08/07/26 8:25 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING The Pentagon revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s eligibility for access to classified information, accusing him of “unauthorized disclosure of classified information regarding Air Force One’s capabilities” to a news outlet, it announced Friday evening.
Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said the Defense Department (DOD) also yanked Kendall’s “ability to hold any sensitive position,” he wrote in a post on social platform X .
“Safeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty,” Parnell added. “Those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it.”
Kendall told The Hill he had been “extremely careful to not say anything that could be classified, and as far as I know I have not said anything classified.”
“So far no one has told me what I’m supposed to have revealed. I have of course been very critical of the Trump administration ever since,” he left office in early 2025, Kendall said Friday night.
Kendall, a trained lawyer and engineer, served as the Air Force secretary from 2021 to 2025 during the Biden administration and spent decades in national security roles prior. He is currently a senior fellow at the left-leaning Center for American progress.
The Pentagon’s claims come amid a broader crackdown on press freedom, most recently with the Trump administration subpoenaing reporters from The New York Times over their coverage of safety concerns with the new Air Force One converted from a gifted Qatari luxury jet.
The Times last month reported 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 — including advanced antimissile capabilities.
Trump decided to fly out of Ankara on the older jet out of an abundance of caution for a potential threat from Iran. He denied that security concerns were the reason behind the decision.
The president was reportedly incensed with the reports, ordering a leak investigation that subpoenaed the Times’ reporters and had White House officials turn over their phones as part of the probe.
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