Trump orders JFK, RFK, MLK assassination documents released

Skylar Woodhouse, Bloomberg News on Jan 23, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order he said would declassify documents related to the assassinations of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Trump had promised to release the documents during his first term in office, but ultimately relented to requests from the intelligence community to keep much of the classified material under wraps. But the president reiterated his pledge during the most recent presidential campaign.

The order, signed by Trump on Thursday in the Oval Office, says that any possible harm to defense, intelligence, law enforcement, or diplomatic operations is outweighed by the public interest. It directs top national security officials in his administration to present Trump a plan within 15 days on how they would fully and completely release the records.

“Their families and the American people deserve transparency and truth,” the order says. “It is in the national interest to finally release all records related to these assassinations without delay.”

During an interview with the “All-In” podcast last year, Trump suggested that the Central Intelligence Agency was behind the request to delay release during his first term in office and would likely prefer he not declassify the additional documents.