--- title: "Pentagon revokes Frank Kendall’s security clearance over Air Force One leak" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/pentagon-revokes-frank-kendalls-security-clearance-over-air-force-one-leak" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/pentagon-revokes-frank-kendalls-security-clearance-over-air-force-one-leak" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/pentagon-revokes-frank-kendalls-security-clearance-over-air-force-one-leak.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/pentagon-revokes-frank-kendalls-security-clearance-over-air-force-one-leak" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-08T01:05:32.574Z" source_reported: "2026-08-07T23:27:01.000Z" updated: "2026-08-08T01:05:32.574Z" trust_score: 82 critic_score: 68 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-08T01:00:21.029232+00:00" --- # 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.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 82 of 100, higher is better. Multiple outlets corroborate Pentagon action. - Craft 68 of 100, higher is better. Reports lack direct quote from Kendall. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. Headlines measured, no sensational language. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - 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. 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. ## Who covered it Shares of the 12 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 8% (1) - Centre: 59% (7) - Right: 33% (4) 0 of 12 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-08T01:00:21.029232+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 1 time; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-08T01:15:33.364Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - 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 - 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 - 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. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 1 - mixed: 2 - high: 6 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [The Last Refuge](https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/08/07/leaker-identified-dept-of-war-revokes-security-clearance-for-former-secretary-of-airforce-frank-kendall) — Leaker Identified - Dept of War Revokes Security Clearance for Former Secretary of Airforce, Frank Kendall - [Just the News](https://justthenews.com/government/security/pentagon-revokes-former-air-force-secretarys-access-classified-intel-over-air) — Pentagon revokes former Air Force secretary's access to classified intel, citing Air Force One leak - [KTEN](https://kten.com/news/politics/pentagon-revokes-access-to-classified-information-for-former-air-force-secretary/article_a259c87b-deb2-555a-9641-8706df7d8ff1.html) — Security Check - [KIFI](https://localnews8.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2026/08/07/pentagon-revokes-access-to-classified-information-for-former-air-force-secretary) — Pentagon revokes access to classified information for former Air Force secretary - [KEYT](https://keyt.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2026/08/07/pentagon-revokes-access-to-classified-information-for-former-air-force-secretary) — Pentagon revokes access to classified information for former Air Force secretary - [KESQ](https://kesq.com/news/national-politics/cnn-us-politics/2026/08/07/pentagon-revokes-access-to-classified-information-for-former-air-force-secretary) — Pentagon revokes access to classified information for former Air Force secretary - [Newsweek](https://newsweek.com/who-is-frank-kendall-ex-air-force-secretarys-classified-access-revoked-12299333) — Ex-Air Force Secretary’s classified access revoked after alleged Air Force One leak - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/politics/former-air-force-secretary-frank-kendall-security-clearance-revoked-air-force-one-disclosure) — Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has security clearance revoked over Air Force One disclosure - [CNN](https://cnn.com/2026/08/07/politics/frank-kendall-pentagon-revokes-classified-information-access) — Pentagon revokes access to classified information for former Air Force secretary - [KRDO](https://krdo.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2026/08/07/pentagon-revokes-access-to-classified-information-for-former-air-force-secretary) — Pentagon revokes access to classified information for former Air Force secretary - [KVIA](https://kvia.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2026/08/07/pentagon-revokes-access-to-classified-information-for-former-air-force-secretary) — Pentagon revokes access to classified information for former Air Force secretary - [KTVZ](https://ktvz.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2026/08/07/pentagon-revokes-access-to-classified-information-for-former-air-force-secretary) — Pentagon revokes access to classified information for former Air Force secretary ## Questions **Why did the Pentagon revoke Frank Kendall’s security clearance?** The Pentagon revoked Frank Kendall’s access to classified information on 7 August 2026 after an unauthorised disclosure to a media outlet about President Donald Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet. The revocation bars Kendall from holding any sensitive position. **What is the Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet worth?** Qatar donated the jet to the Pentagon last year. The aircraft is valued at $400 million. The White House accepted the gift despite ethical, legal and national security concerns raised at the time. **How did the outlets differ in covering the revocation?** The left-rated report included Kendall’s earlier remarks about the jet needing modifications and the White House’s ethical concerns. The right-rated digests identified Kendall as the leaker and omitted the jet’s value. Centre-rated digests mostly repeated the Pentagon’s statement without additional context. **What did Frank Kendall say about the new jet’s safety?** Frank Kendall previously told CNN the Qatari-gifted jet would require three to four years of modifications to meet the safety standards of the older Boeing 747s used as Air Force One. Only the left-rated report included this detail. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/pentagon-revokes-frank-kendalls-security-clearance-over-air-force-one-leak. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Pentagon revokes Frank Kendall’s security clearance over Air Force One leak", https://mediabias.news/politics/pentagon-revokes-frank-kendalls-security-clearance-over-air-force-one-leak