Donald Trump signs order to declassify JFK and MLK assassination files

President Trump signed an executive order to declassify the assassination files for both former President John F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Trump initially was going to release the JFK files during his first term, but the CIA and FBI appealed the release. Back then, Trump agreed that the need to protect the material from potential harm to U.S. national security outweighed the public’s interest. With the recent executive order, these files will become known to the public.

From Fox News:

During his first administration, Trump had promised to release all the files related to John F. Kennedy, but an undisclosed amount of material remains under wraps more than six decades after Kennedy was killed Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.

After appeals from the CIA and FBI, Trump blocked the release of hundreds of records. Trump said at the time the potential harm to U.S. national security, law enforcement or foreign affairs is “of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in immediate disclosure.”

Trump’s promise to also release outstanding documents related to King and former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy leaves questions as to how the president-elect will speed up the releases.

Under the Martin Luther King Jr. Records Collection Act, the remaining files pertaining to King are not due for release until 2027.

Additional Reading:

Casiano, L. (2025, January 23). Trump signs order to declassify files on JFK, MLK assassinations. Fox News. Link.

Category: Donald Trump, Historical, Society