Overview
- The Pentagon announced on Aug. 7 that former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall was stripped of eligibility to hold a security clearance after accusing him of an unauthorized disclosure about Air Force One’s capabilities.
- Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the action followed disclosure of classified information to a media outlet but did not identify the specific material, the recipient, or whether the matter will be referred for criminal investigation.
- Kendall has publicly denied disclosing classified material, said he learned of the move from a Pentagon social media post, and told CNN he was mystified because he had tried not to say anything classified.
- Kendall has hired national security attorney Mark Zaid and on Aug. 11 vowed to sue to restore his clearance, saying he received no opportunity to respond before the administrative action.
- The dispute ties to recent New York Times reporting about shortfalls in the Qatari‑donated VC‑25B, a withdrawn DOJ subpoena of NYT reporters, and critics’ claims that clearance revocations have been used as political retaliation under the Trump administration.