Former U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has announced he will sue the Trump administration to restore his security clearance, which was revoked on Friday after he was accused of disclosing sensitive information about the Qatari-gifted jet now serving as Air Force One. He made the announcement in an interview with CNN, as reported by infohub.kz.
Kendall, a West Point graduate who served as the Air Force chief under President Joe Biden, said he will take legal action to compel the administration to reinstate his clearance. He noted that the administration has a history of retaliating against critics by stripping their clearances. "As my mother taught me years ago, you stand up to bullies," Kendall said, denying that he disclosed classified information.
Mark Zaid, a prominent national security attorney who sued the administration after his own clearance was revoked, confirmed in a post on X that he will represent Kendall. "More to come," Zaid wrote.
Zaid specializes in helping military and civilian clients maintain security clearances during investigations. Last year, he was among 14 people named in a Trump executive order targeting their clearances. In March 2025, Trump named former President Joe Biden, his family members, former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and New York Attorney General Letitia James as unsuitable to retain clearances, citing the national interest.
In August 2025, Trump revoked the clearances of 37 more current and former national security officials, some of whom worked on matters that have long angered him, such as the intelligence community's assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
Trump has tried to suppress reports of problems with the jet that Qatar gifted him, which he intends to use as Air Force One for the rest of his term. His Justice Department last month subpoenaed New York Times reporters who wrote about security concerns with the jet, which lacks the advanced anti-missile technology of its predecessor. After a federal judge criticized the legal work, the government withdrew the subpoenas.