- Trump promised to release the files shortly after taking office
- The majority of files on the assassination of JFK are already declassified
- The files have long been the subject of conspiracy theories
Updated: Mar 17, 2025 / 04:23 PM CDT
President John F. Kennedy gestures with open hand during dedication ceremonies at the Nashville Avenue Wharf in New Orleans, May 4, 1962. (AP Photo/BS)
(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump announced he will release the remaining classified files on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Tuesday.
Trump promised the release of those files, as well as files relating to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., files relating to the assassination of presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and files on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. All three cases have been the subject of conspiracy theories, and there has long been public pressure to release them.
“We have a tremendous amount of paper. You’ve got a lot of reading. I don’t believe we’re going to redact anything. I said, just don’t redact. You can’t redact,” Trump said.
Trump, who made the announcement as he spoke to reporters at the Kennedy Center, said he had not read the files but called them “very interesting.”
The president said there are around 80,000 pages that will be released.
The majority of files regarding JFK’s assassination have already been declassified. The remaining files remained classified due to sensitive information, which could include the names of informants who may still be alive and intelligence-gathering information, including potential safe houses or black sites, that may still be in use.
Trump has already come under fire after an initial release of the Epstein files turned out to consist largely of information that is already known to the public.
Those files were released only to a small group of conservative influencers, bypassing traditional media.
Republicans in Congress were among those expressing disappointment at how the Epstein files were released and pushing the administration for more transparency.
