Pentagon revokes Frank Kendall’s security clearance over Air Force One leak
The former Air Force secretary lost access to classified information after disclosing details about the Qatari-gifted jet.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Pentagon revokes Frank Kendall’s security clearance over Air Force One leak
Photograph: KIFI (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The Pentagon revoked Frank Kendall’s access to classified information on 7 August 2026.
- The action follows an unauthorised disclosure about President Donald Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet.
- Kendall previously said the new jet would need three to four years of modifications to match the older Boeing 747s.
- Qatar donated the $400 million jet to the Pentagon last year.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 12 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
82/100
Craft
68/100
Hype
20/100
12 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 1 of the 12 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
The Pentagon revoked former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s access to classified information on 7 August 2026. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the decision, citing an “unauthorised disclosure” to a media outlet about President Donald Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet. The revocation is immediate and bars Kendall from holding any sensitive position.
Qatar donated the jet, valued at $400 million, to the Pentagon last year. The White House accepted the gift despite ethical, legal and national security concerns. Kendall had previously told CNN the aircraft would require three to four years of modifications to meet the safety standards of the older Boeing 747s used as Air Force One.
Trump used the new jet for the NATO summit in Turkey in July 2026 but returned on the older presidential plane. The White House deemed the Qatari jet safe for low-risk destinations, though scrutiny over its security deficiencies continues.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mentioned the $400 million value of the Qatari jet or the White House’s acceptance of the gift despite ethical concerns. The centre-rated digests also omitted these details, except for Newsweek, which did not specify the value. Only the left-rated report included Kendall’s earlier statement that the jet would need three to four years of modifications.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 8 Aug 2026, 01:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
1 rated outlet
- The left-rated report, published by CNN, led on the revocation of Kendall’s security clearance and the leak investigation that followed. It quoted the Pentagon spokesman’s statement verbatim: “Effective immediately, the Department of War has REVOKED former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall’s eligibility for access to classified information.” The report included Kendall’s earlier remarks about the jet needing three to four years of modifications and noted the White House’s dismissal of ethical concerns over the Qatari gift.
- CNN also highlighted the broader context of Trump’s leak investigations, including subpoenas issued to New York Times reporters and White House officials. The report described the new jet’s security deficiencies as a point of “reporters’ scrutiny” and noted that Trump is expected to continue using it for domestic trips.
Centre
7 rated outlets
- All seven centre-rated digests carried the Pentagon’s announcement of Kendall’s revocation and the reason given: an unauthorised disclosure about the Qatari-gifted Air Force One. Six of the seven digests repeated the Pentagon spokesman’s statement that the Department of War had “REVOKED former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall’s eligibility for access to classified information.” None of the digests mentioned the $400 million value of the jet or Kendall’s earlier remarks about the modifications needed.
- The Newsweek digest framed the revocation as part of “questions continue over the handling of classified information and government oversight.” The other six digests did not include additional context beyond the Pentagon’s statement.
Right
4 rated outlets
- The four right-rated digests all identified Kendall as the source of the leak. The Last Refuge called him a “disgraced former Biden appointee and staunch activist democrat” and described the revocation as the result of a “controversial leak investigation.” Just the News stated that Parnell had “identified the leaker of classified Air Force One information as former Biden administration Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.”
- Fox News and KTEN digests used neutral language, stating that Kendall lost his security clearance over an “alleged unauthorized disclosure” or “unauthorized disclosure.” None of the right-rated digests mentioned the $400 million value of the jet, the White House’s acceptance of the gift, or Kendall’s earlier remarks about the modifications needed.
Read it at the source
12 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
1Centre
7- Pentagon revokes access to classified information for former Air Force secretary (opens KESQ in a new tab)
- Pentagon revokes access to classified information for former Air Force secretary (opens KEYT in a new tab)
- Pentagon revokes access to classified information for former Air Force secretary (opens KIFI in a new tab)
- Ex-Air Force Secretary’s classified access revoked after alleged Air Force One leak (opens Newsweek in a new tab)
- Pentagon revokes access to classified information for former Air Force secretary (opens KTVZ in a new tab)
KTVZ
- Pentagon revokes access to classified information for former Air Force secretary (opens KVIA in a new tab)
- Pentagon revokes access to classified information for former Air Force secretary (opens KRDO in a new tab)
Right
4- Leaker Identified - Dept of War Revokes Security Clearance for Former Secretary of Airforce, Frank Kendall (opens The Last Refuge in a new tab)
The Last Refuge — is The Last Refuge biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Security Check (opens KTEN in a new tab)
- Pentagon revokes former Air Force secretary's access to classified intel, citing Air Force One leak (opens Just the News in a new tab)
Just the News — is Just the News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has security clearance revoked over Air Force One disclosure (opens Fox News in a new tab)
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
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