The Trump administration has revoked the security clearance of former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, accusing him of disclosing classified information to the media about Air Force One, The Washington Post reports.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Kendall was being stripped of access to classified information and of his ability to hold any sensitive position following what he described as an “unauthorized disclosure of classified information regarding Air Force One’s capabilities.” Parnell added that safeguarding classified information is a “non-negotiable duty.”

Kendall, who served as Air Force secretary under President Joe Biden and previously held a senior Defense Department post during the Obama administration, denied revealing classified information and said he is considering his legal options. “I’ve been extremely careful to not say anything that could be classified, and as far as I know I have not said anything classified,” he told The Post. “So far no one has told me what I’m supposed to have revealed.”

Kendall had recently spoken to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal about the Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar that President Donald Trump is using as his official presidential aircraft. He told the Times he was “surprised to see this plane used outside the U.S.” given how quickly it was modified after being transferred to the United States, and told the Journal he was skeptical that the aircraft had been fully equipped with the security features Trump said it would have.

The White House said last month that Trump would tentatively return to using an older Air Force One while the Qatari-gifted aircraft underwent unspecified “additional upgrades and enhancements,” which were expected to take about a month.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)