On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to declassify and release files related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.
“That’s a big one. Lot of people are waiting for this a long, for years, for decades,” Trump said signing the executive order in the Oval Office.
“Give that to RFK Jr.,” he said, indiciating that the pen he used to sign the order should be given to his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, who is the son of the former attorney general and nephew of the late president.
“All will be revealed,” Trump added.
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A significant portion of the files related to the JFK assassination has already been made public, including a release of 13,000 documents during the Biden administration. However, many of these documents have been redacted.
“Their families and the American people deserve transparency and truth. It is in the national interest to finally release all records related to these assassinations without delay,” reads the order from the White House.
The records will not be released immediately. “Within 15 days of the date of this order, the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General shall, in coordination with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Counsel to the President, present a plan to the President for the full and complete release of records relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy,” the order reads.
The timeline for the release of RFK and MLK files is set within 45 days.
In 2023, the National Archives completed its review of the classified documents concerning JFK’s 1963 assassination, with 99% of the records being made publicly available, according to CNN.
President Joe Biden then issued a memo confirming that the archivist had finished the review and that all documents approved for declassification had been released, meeting the previously established deadline.
Despite past commitments from presidents, including Trump, to release these records, agencies like the CIA, Pentagon, and State Department still withhold certain documents. These remain classified mainly to protect the identities of confidential sources who are still alive or could be, as well as to safeguard methods.
During his presidency, Trump agreed to withhold some of the records related to Kennedy’s assassination at the request of national security agencies. However, on the 2024 campaign trail, he stated he would release the remaining documents.
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