Trump Directs Release of Remaining JFK Assassination Files | US News
Donald Trump has directed the release of thousands of confidential documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
The assassination in Dallas in 1963 is infamous for spawning one of the most notorious conspiracy theories of our time.
Lee Harvey Oswald was identified as the shooter, but he himself was killed just two days after JFK‘s assassination.
President Trump had previously vowed during his election campaign to unveil the remaining concealed documents in the case.
On Thursday, he signed an executive order, telling reporters, “everything will be revealed”.
The order will also declassify outstanding federal documents concerning the assassinations of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, as well as JFK’s brother, Robert F. Kennedy, who was also assassinated that year while campaigning for president.
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Trump had vowed to reveal the documents during his initial term but ultimately acquiesced to requests from the CIA and FBI to keep some under wraps.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., JFK’s nephew and the president’s nominee for health secretary, has expressed skepticism that a lone gunman was responsible for his uncle’s assassination.
After signing the order, Mr. Trump requested that the pen be given to RFK Jr.
The attorney general and director of national intelligence are now tasked with formulating a plan within the next 15 days to declassify the JFK documents, and within 45 days for the other cases.
As a result, it is currently uncertain when the documents will be released, and experts on the case remain skeptical about any significant discoveries.
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Only a fraction of the millions of documents related to the JFK case remain to be fully declassified.
“There’s always the chance that something unexpected comes to light that could hint at a more extensive cover-up,” remarked Larry J. Sabato, an author well-versed in Kennedy’s history.
“That’s what researchers are on the lookout for. While itβs improbable, there remains a possibility that such information exists.”
This executive order is the latest in a series of executive orders signed by Mr. Trump during his initial days back in the White House.
Other orders include announcing the withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and dismantling government diversity programs.
However, his effort to terminate birthright citizenship for the offspring of undocumented immigrants has already faced a temporary injunction from the courts.