President Trump Signs Executive Order to Declassify Files on JFK, RFK, and MLK Assassinations

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to declassify files related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The move follows years of public anticipation for the release of these records.

Trump remarked, “That’s a big one, huh? A lot of people have been waiting for this for a long — for years, for decades.” He also instructed his aide to give the pen he used to sign the order to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of the late senator and the president’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Declassification Process and Timeline

The executive order requires the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General—both still awaiting confirmation—to come up with a plan for the release of JFK files within 15 days. They will have 45 days to present a plan for releasing records related to the deaths of RFK and MLK.

The FBI confirmed its compliance with the order in a statement to CBS News. It said it would work with the Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to facilitate the full release of the records.

Background on the Assassination Files

Some JFK assassination documents were released in 2022, revealing that 97% of the 5 million pages in the collection had already been made public. However, Trump had promised in 2017 to release all remaining documents. This includes about 3,000 never-before-seen files and 30,000 previously released files with redactions.

The 1992 law mandating the release of these files required all assassination-related documents to be released within 25 years. Trump’s executive order follows through on this commitment and signals a continued push for transparency.