Sunday, Feb 9 2025 | Time 03:10 Hrs(IST)
image
World


Trump signs executive order to release remaining files of JFK, RFK, MLK assassinations

Trump signs executive order to release remaining files of JFK, RFK, MLK assassinations

Washington, Jan 24 (UNI) U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to declassify any remaining files from the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy (JFK), his brother Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK).
"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," Trump said in the executive order.
"And although no Act of Congress directs the release of information pertaining to the assassinations of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I have determined that the release of all records in the Federal government's possession pertaining to each of those assassinations is also in the public interest," Trump said.
In the executive order, Trump instructed the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General to present a plan to him for the "full and complete" release of records relating to the assassination of JFK within 15 days. The Senate has confirmed neither of the nominations.
Trump also directed that they have 45 days to present a plan to release all the RFK and MLK files.
JFK, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a motorcade. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the murder, yet numerous conspiracy theories about the circumstances of Oswald's dramatic death two days after the assassination remain prevalent even today.
In 1992, Congress required that all documents related to the assassinations be made available to the public within 25 years, by October 26, 2017.
In his first term that started in January 2017, Trump accepted proposed redactions from executive departments and agencies, but ordered the continued re-evaluation of those remaining redactions.
Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump, issued subsequent certifications concerning these records in 2021, 2022, and 2023, which gave agencies additional time to review the documents and withhold information from public disclosure, according to the order.
Biden's press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said on June 30, 2023 that 99 percent of records associated with JFK's assassination were available for public consumption through the National Archives and Records Administration.
RFK, another prominent figure from the Kennedy family, was well-known for his roles as a U.S. senator and attorney general. He was assassinated in 1968 during his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Trump's nominee for secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is a son of RFK senior.
MLK stands as one of the most prominent figures in the American civil rights movement. He is widely celebrated for his commitment to nonviolent campaign against racial segregation and inequality, as well as his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
UNI XINHUA ARN

More News
Iran's supreme leader meets top Hamas leaders in Tehran

Iran's supreme leader meets top Hamas leaders in Tehran

08 Feb 2025 | 10:33 PM

Tehran, Feb. 8 (UNI) Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei met here on Saturday with visiting top Hamas leaders, during which the two sides discussed the developments in Gaza, among others.

see more..

Kuwait rejects displacing Palestinians from Gaza

08 Feb 2025 | 10:13 PM

Kuwait City, Feb. 8 (UNI) Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya has affirmed the country's rejection of displacing Palestinians from Gaza, stressing the importance of adhering to the two-state solution.

see more..

Israeli airstrikes target military facilities near Damascus

08 Feb 2025 | 10:09 PM

Damascus, Feb. 8 (UNI) Israel carried out airstrikes on military sites in the countryside of Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday, targeting facilities in the Deir Ali area, local media reported.

see more..
2 policemen killed as terrorists attack check post in NW Pak

2 policemen killed as terrorists attack check post in NW Pak

08 Feb 2025 | 9:22 PM

Islamabad, Feb 8 (UNI) Two policemen were killed and another injured in a terrorist attack on a check post in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday, police sources confirmed.

see more..

Iraqi military identifies 3 senior IS militants killed in Jan

08 Feb 2025 | 8:37 PM

Baghdad, Feb. 8 (UNI) The Iraqi military revealed on Saturday the identities of three Islamic State (IS) militants killed in airstrikes in late January.

see more..
image