Trump orders release of JFK, RFK, MLK Jr. files
The president signed an executive order to release classified documents related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.


What happened
President Donald Trump Thursday signed an executive order to release thousands of classified documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.
Who said what
About 99% of the government's roughly 320,000 documents on the JFK assassination have already been released, according to the National Archives, including in batches released by Trump during his first term and by President Joe Biden in 2023. Several thousand remain classified or partially redacted, including CIA files. Trump told reporters "everything will be revealed."
Trump has "long indulged in conspiracy theories" about JFK's 1963 assassination, The New York Times said. "The records will not reveal any smoking gun," Tom Samoluk, who reviewed all the classified records in the 1990s under a government review board, said to ABC Boston affiliate WCVB. But "there will be some puzzle pieces that will be put back in that will tell a more robust and rich story."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Trump directed officials to develop a plan within 15 days to release the "full and complete" JFK records, and 45 days to plan publication of the more dispersed records on the 1968 RFK and MLK assassinations. It's not clear when the records would be released.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
A whole new world: redrawing the Mercator map
Under the Radar African Union joins calls to ditch 'colonial distortion' and portray countries at more accurate size
-
'Enforcement of rulings remains spotty at best'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Book reviews: 'King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution' and 'Gwyneth: The Biography'
Feature How the Iranian Revolution began and Gwyneth Paltrow's life in the spotlight
-
Judges: Threatened for ruling against Trump
Feature Threats against federal judges across the U.S. have surged since Donald Trump took office
-
The census: Why Trump wants a new one
Feature Donald Trump is pushing for a 'Trumpified census' that excludes undocumented immigrants
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'
-
Health: Will medical science survive RFK Jr.?
Feature Robert F. Kennedy Jr. scrapped $500 million in mRNA vaccine research contracts
-
Trump extends power with D.C. police takeover
Feature Donald Trump deploys 500 law enforcement officers and 800 National Guard members to fight crime in Washington, D.C.
-
DC protests as Trump deployment ramps up
Speed Read Trump's 'crusade against crime' is targeting immigrants and the homeless
-
Ukraine, European leaders to meet Trump after Putin talks
Speed Read Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week