FBI uncovers secret JFK assassination files after Trump orders full document release.
Donald Trump’s decision to release files related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy has already unveiled nearly 2,400 newly declassified documents that could provide crucial insights into the mystery surrounding the 1963 shooting.
In January, Trump signed an executive order to release the remaining classified records surrounding Kennedy's assassination, making it one of his first acts upon returning to the White House.
On Friday, the White House received a notification that the FBI had uncovered approximately 14,000 pages of documents while reviewing the secret files in compliance with Trump’s order. Jefferson Morley, an expert on the Kennedy assassination, praised the move, telling Axios: "This is huge. It shows the FBI is taking this seriously." He added, "The FBI is finally saying, 'Let’s respond to the president’s order,' instead of keeping the secrecy going."
Despite the excitement surrounding the release, some Trump insiders have voiced frustration, suspecting that the new development could be a tactic to delay transparency. "When POTUS hears about this stonewalling, he's gonna hit the roof," said one anonymous aide.
A Trump advisor hinted that the administration might sidestep the typical release process. "Don’t be surprised if all these records just suddenly wind up online. He wants to move on and call this a promise kept," they said.
The discovery of these records came after the Office of the Director of National Intelligence submitted its plan to disclose the JFK-related files. Among the potentially explosive revelations in the documents are surveillance reports on Lee Harvey Oswald, files related to a Cuban hitman, and details about the president’s plan to dismantle the CIA.
Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, as he was riding in a motorcade. Oswald, 24, shot him from a sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository building, and was killed two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby. The Warren Commission concluded that Oswald acted alone, but many conspiracy theories have since emerged.
The National Archives houses more than 5 million records related to the assassination, and under the law, all documents were supposed to be made public by 2017, unless the president invoked exemptions. However, approximately 3,600 records remain redacted and have yet to be fully released.
Lee Harvey Oswald
In his executive order, Trump expressed his desire for transparency, stating: "All will be revealed." The order emphasized the importance of releasing all records related to the assassinations of Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., asserting that the American public and the victims’ families deserve "transparency and truth."
Trump’s intelligence chiefs now have 45 days to formulate a plan to release documents related to RFK and Dr. King. Millions of pages of JFK documents have already been made public, with the most recent disclosures including CIA memos detailing Oswald’s visits to Cuban and Soviet embassies in Mexico City shortly before the assassination.
While some experts believe there are no game-changing revelations left in the files, Trump had promised during his reelection campaign that he would declassify the remaining documents. He made a similar pledge during his first term but was persuaded by the CIA and FBI to delay the release over concerns that doing so might compromise national security.
During a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, Trump teased the imminent release of the documents. "I’m going to release them immediately," he said. "We’re going to see the information. We are looking at it right now."
Trump also explained why he initially delayed the release, revealing that former CIA Director Mike Pompeo had advised against it. "I was actually asked by Mike Pompeo, secretary of State, not to, and I felt he knew something that maybe, you know, when he asked you not to, you sort of say ‘why?’ and he felt that it was not a good time to release them," Trump said.
The continued secrecy surrounding the assassination has fueled endless speculation and conspiracy theories. Was Oswald connected to the Cuban or Soviet governments? Was he a patsy? Why did Jack Ruby kill him on live TV?
In the executive order, Trump declared: "I have now determined that the continued redaction and withholding of information from records pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is not consistent with the public interest and the release of these records is long overdue."
