Donald Trump has ordered the declassification of MLK, JFK, and RFK assassination files, drawing mixed reactions from their families.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order mandating the declassification and release of remaining files related to the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy.
The order, signed Thursday (January 23), directs the Director of National Intelligence to present a plan within 15 days for the full release of all JFK assassination records.
Additionally, officials must review and present a plan within 45 days for the complete release of records related to the RFK and MLK assassinations.
Trump planned to release the assassination files during his first term but did not fully follow through. He claimed his CIA director, Mike Pompeo, felt “it was not a good time to release them.”
However, this time, Trump stated that “everything will be revealed” regarding these assassinations.
The order asserts that continued secrecy “is not consistent with the public interest.”
Members of the King and Kennedy families have spoken in the wake of the orders.
Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., shared a statement on behalf of her family.
“For us, the assassination of our father is a deeply personal family loss that we have endured over the last 56 years,” the statement reads in part. “We hope to be provided the opportunity to review the files as a family prior to its public release.”
The King family confirmed they are refraining from giving interviews as they await additional information.
Meanwhile, JFK’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, hit back at President Trump’s executive order.
“The truth is alot sadder than the myth — a tragedy that didn’t need to happen,” he wrote on X (Twitter). “Not part of an inevitable grand scheme. Declassification is using JFK as a political prop, when he’s not here to punch back. There’s nothing heroic about it.”
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