Ex-Air Force Chief Threatens to Sue Trump Administration After Pentagon Strips Security Clearance for Raising Concerns Over Controversial Qatari Jet
Donald Trump has revoked the security clearance of a former Air Force Secretary after he questioned the president's new Air Force One.
Aug. 11 2026, Published 2:45 p.m. ET
A former Secretary of the Air Force has announced his plans to sue the Trump administration, RadarOnline.com can report, after the Pentagon stripped him of his security clearance over comments he made about the president’s new Air Force One jet.
Frank Kendall was accused of disclosing sensitive information about the Qatari-gifted jet – a charge he denies.
Frank Kendall: 'I Was Initially Mystified'
Ex-Air Force chief Frank Kendall claimed the Trump administration is spreading lies that he leaked classified material.
Kendall, a West Point graduate who served as President Joe Biden's head of the Air Force, said on CNN that he'll sue the administration and told anchor Erin Burnett that he had been especially careful not to discuss classified material.
"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," he said.
The 77-year-old said he learned about the decision only after Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced it on X.
The Air Force veteran speculated there may have been ulterior motives for revoking his clearance.
"There are some other explanations for why they did this, of course," Kendall said. "I’ve been a very vocal critic of the administration ever since I left office."
President Trump Does Not Like to be Second Guessed
Trump had to quickly ground his new Air Force One after security concerns were raised.
Kendall claims he is just the latest Trump critic to have their security clearance revoked without adequate reason.
The New York Times reported that Kendall had questioned whether the president's gifted new plane was sufficiently equipped for its task, warning that it had "a lot of shortfalls" compared with the existing Air Force One and posed "a measure of risk."
"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," he said.
In August 2025, Trump revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials, some of whom worked on matters that have long infuriated Trump, like the intelligence community assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election on his behalf.
Trump Cuts Perks of Those Who Criticize Him
The president could be a target on the new plane.
Trump has also tried to silence reports of problems with the jet that Qatar gifted him last year, which he intends to use as Air Force One for the remainder of his term.
The Justice Department last month subpoenaed New York Times reporters who wrote about security concerns with the jet, which they revealed lacks the newest technology of its predecessor.
Public Air Force records examined by the newspaper indicated the upgraded jet lacks several defensive features present on the existing presidential fleet, including a lower-level emergency exit, additional backup electrical capacity and an advanced anti-missile system.
Officials reportedly expected the aircraft would initially be used primarily for domestic flights or journeys to allied countries hosting US military bases because of its reduced defensive capabilities.
Questions For the Qatar Jet
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The jet was a gift from Qatar, but it lacks some key safety features.
The aircraft was donated by Qatar to the Department of Defense and is ultimately expected to become part of Trump's presidential library, an arrangement that has attracted criticism from opponents who argue the gift could create the appearance of foreign influence.
However, questions over the aircraft intensified after Trump traveled from Turkey aboard a different presidential aircraft, following Secret Service concerns over what officials described as a credible threat from Iranian proxy forces.
The White House rejected the claims, insisting the aircraft is "state-of-the-art" and fitted with "high-level security protocols" to protect the president and staff.
But Kendell apparently wants the Trump administration to make those claims under oath, and he's prepared to make sure it does so.
"As my mother taught me years ago, you stand up to bullies," said Kendall.
