Former Air Force secretary to join others in lawsuit against White House to regain security clearance

Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall will sue the Trump administration in an effort to regain his security clearance, alongside others whose clearances have been revoked since President Donald Trump took office for the second time.

Kendall, who served as secretary from 2021 to 2025 under the Biden administration, announced last week on CNN that he will be suing the White House after the Pentagon alleged he shared classified information regarding Air Force One capabilities with a media outlet.

The former secretary said that Mark Zaid, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney who specializes in security clearance and whistleblower cases, would represent him.

Zaid previously took on the Trump administration after his own security clearance was revoked in March 2025, calling it “retribution against an attorney for representing clients adverse to the government.” His access was fully restored in January.

Zaid told Military Times that he and his law firm are preparing forthcoming litigation that will be part of a larger lawsuit involving a number of individuals whose security clearances were allegedly unlawfully revoked without due process since January 2025, the beginning of Trump’s second term.

Since January 2025, the Trump administration has revoked a slew of security clearances from high-profile political figures, former cabinet officials and intelligence personnel. In March 2025, the White House announced the revocation of clearances from nearly 20 people, including former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Then, in August 2025, the then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released the names on social media of 37 more individuals whose clearances would be revoked.

Zaid did not specify which individuals would be joining Kendall in the upcoming litigation.

In a live interview with CNN, Kendall claimed that the allegation was baseless since he did not reveal any classified information and that the revocation lacked due process. He argued that his vocal criticism of the Trump administration could explain why the Pentagon revoked his clearance.

“Under the circumstances, there is a legitimate question as to whether this was a malicious and retaliatory decision,” Zaid told Military Times when asked if the revocation could be the result of political retribution.

Kendall has been an open critic of the Trump administration since he left his post in January 2025, writing in a July 2025 opinion piece published in the New York Times that Trump uses fear as a way to suppress dissent in groups such as the military, civil service and law communities in particular.

“Fear is the universal tool of authoritarians, and it is a clear sign that our democracy is in danger that so many Americans now have reason to fear their government,” he opined. “Fear has come to our country, and unlike Sandburg’s fog, it isn’t moving on any time soon.”

More recently, Kendall was quoted in the Times and Wall Street Journal expressing concern over the quick timeline in which the Qatari-donated jet was modified for presidential use, prompting the Pentagon to revoke his clearance.

Kendall did not return multiple requests for comment from Military Times.

Zaid said that the Pentagon did not specify which classified information about Air Force One capabilities it believes Kendall revealed, adding that the only contact thus far with the Department of Defense was the social media post announcing the removal of Kendall’s clearance.

Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, posted Aug. 7 that Kendall’s access to classified information and his ability to hold any “sensitive” position were void effective immediately.

“This action follows his unauthorized disclosure of classified information regarding Air Force One’s capabilities to a media outlet,” Parnell said in the post.

“Safeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty,” he continued. “Those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it.”

The Pentagon denied a request to comment from Military Times, instead referring the publication back to Parnell’s social media post.

Zaid said that Kendall’s clearance revocation differs from the standard procedure. Usually, a revocation of a defense contractor’s security clearance requires the issuance of a Statement of Reasons, which is a formal written notice from the government outlining why it plans to revoke the clearance and allows the party to respond and submit evidence in their defense.

Since leaving his role as secretary, Kendall now serves as a national director on the Air & Space Forces Association board and as a nonresident senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.