Trump orders release of JFK assassination-related documents

Trump orders release of JFK assassination files; includes records on Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.

President Trump signed an executive order directing the release of federal documents related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.

The order requires the director of national intelligence and the attorney general to submit a plan within 15 days for the complete release of JFK assassination records.

Trump stated that continued withholding of JFK-related information is not in the public interest and that the documents’ release is overdue.

While no congressional act mandates the release of records on the other two assassinations, Trump asserted that making these documents public is also in the public interest.

During his 2024 campaign, Trump promised to declassify remaining documents about JFK’s assassination, which continues to intrigue the public since the event in 1963.

Despite previously pledging to release documents during his first term, Trump kept some withheld, citing intelligence concerns.

John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald, leading to ongoing conspiracy theories regarding potential CIA involvement.

In 2022, nearly 13,000 new files related to JFK’s assassination were released by the National Archives, marking the largest release since 2018.

Legislation from 1992 requires all remaining records to be released by October 2017 unless related to national defense or intelligence.

Both Trump and President Biden have issued extensions to keep some documents private.

Experts suggest that significant revelations are unlikely from the upcoming document releases.