President Donald Trump's team made a blaring admission when they slapped back at a source who provided journalists with information about his problem-laden $400 million jet, a political analyst said Saturday.
Sean Parnell, United States Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, said the quiet part out loud on Friday when he announced former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall would no longer be allowed to access classified information, The Bulwark's Bill Kristol argued.
Parnell wrote, "This action follows his unauthorized disclosure of classified information regarding Air Force One’s capabilities to a media outlet."
"Safeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty," Parnell added. "Those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it."
Kristol replied, "In other words, Kendall — and many others — were telling the truth about the Trump/Hegseth/Qatar Air Force One fiasco."
Kendall has been quoted by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal in stories scrutinizing security features of Trump's Boeing 747, reports show.
Those outlets reported Trump's new Air Force One lacked defensive countermeasures the president said that it would.
In those reports, Kendall told he “surprised to see this plane used outside the U.S.,” and expressed skepticism the plane had been “maxed out” with security features.
On Saturday, the former Air Force secretary told the Journal he was “mystified” as to why his security clearance had been revoked.
“I’ve been extremely careful to not say anything that could be classified," Kendall reportedly said. "As far as I know I have not said anything classified."