Trump government discloses recently discovered JFK assassination documents
Trump's administration dropped a bombshell on a Tuesday, publishing thousands of records once classified about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Many of these files have been previously released, including over 13,000 documents dropped during the Biden administration. However, many of the documents released by Trump had been thoroughly redacted before.
Trump, ever eager to satisfy the public, stated that people have been waiting for decades to view the 80,000 pages of records related to Kennedy's assassination. Soon after taking office, he issued an executive order directing the public release of thousands of files connected to the assassinations of Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.
The documents were uploaded to the National Archives' website in the evening, but researchers will take some time to wade through the newly posted 1,123 documents. Unfortunately, there's no indication that these files will contain any jaw-dropping revelations, according to one expert who's scrutinized many of the records already.
Tom Samulok was a deputy director of the Assassination Records Review Board, a committee formed in the '90s to examine records associated with the assassination. From what he reviewed, there's nothing to alter the current conclusion about Kennedy's assassination that a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, was responsible for his death.
According to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, the records contain approximately 80,000 unredacted pages. There are still some documents that are withheld under court seal or for grand jury secrecy, as well as records subject to section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code, which must be unsealed before release. The National Archives is collaborating with the Justice Department to expedite the unsealing of these records.
Political scientist Larry Sabato, who wrote "The Kennedy Half-Century," warned that the public might be disappointed by the lack of surprises. "We will learn things," Sabato said. "But it may not be about the Kennedy assassination, and people expecting to crack the case after 61 years will be bitterly disappointed."
Kennedy's assassination has fuelled numerous conspiracy theories, and Trump has not shied away from giving a platform to some of these theories himself. The Review Board headed by Samulok was created to assess whether records connected to the assassination could be made public, and Samulok acknowledged that he has not seen all the documents potentially up for release.
For instance, last month, the FBI discovered approximately 2,400 new records related to the JFK assassination from a new search following Trump's executive order, and there could be other records at different agencies still unseen. There are potentially points of interest in the remaining records that would fill in gaps in our existing knowledge, such as information from the CIA regarding Oswald's movements before the assassination.
By 2023, the National Archives completed its review of the classified documents related to the assassination, with 99% of the records made publicly available. A memo released by President Joe Biden certified that the archivist had concluded the review and affirmed that all remaining documents authorized for declassification had been released to the public, meeting the set deadline.
Despite previous promises from presidents, including Trump, to release those records, the CIA, Pentagon, and State Department still refuse to release certain documents, citing protection of the identities of confidential sources and national security as their justification. During his first term, Trump agreed not to release the entire tranche of records related to Kennedy's assassination at the request of national security agencies. However, during the 2024 campaign trail, Trump promised to release the remaining documents.
- Trump, after releasing previously classified files about JFK's assassination during his administration, stated that the public had been waiting for decades to view the 80,000 pages of records related to the event.
- Political scientist Larry Sabato, author of "The Kennedy Half-Century," warned that the public might be disappointed by the lack of surprises in the JFK assassination files, as they may not contain any significant revelations about the assassination itself.
- Despite presidential promises, including Trump's, to release the JFK assassination records, the CIA, Pentagon, and State Department still refuse to release certain documents, citing protection of confidential sources and national security as their justification.
