The Trump administration made available about 10,000 pages of formerly classified information about Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1968, allowing for resumption of the ten-year-old investigation. The documents, which were released on Friday on the US National Archives website, represent a major step in President Donald Trump’s effort to uncover some of the country’s most contentious social killings.
The move comes in response to a Trump executive order that in January requested the revocation of documents relating to the executions of President John F. Kennedy, RFK, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The National Archives confirmed that the papers would continue to be made available in collaboration with several national agencies on a rolling base.
According to a report from CBS News, the record set includes a number of items related to the RFK execution case. These include Sirhan’s personal handwritten notes, witness statements, photographic evidence from both the crime scene and examination, FBI records that document Sirhan’s actions prior to the incident, common words to government authorities regarding the execution, and conversations with recorded conversations with Sirhan’s relatives.
Senator Kennedy, a Democratic presidential candidate at the time, was fatally shot on June 5, 1968, after winning California’s Democratic key. Sirhan Sirhan, who was found guilty of murder, is now serving a life sentence. However, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., RFK’s boy, has long expressed concerns about Sirhan’s grief and welcomed the report release.
In a speech, Kennedy Jr. thanked both Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for their work.” Living the mask on the RFK documents is a necessary action toward restoring trust in American state,” Kennedy Jr. said.
The American people will for the first time have the opportunity to review the federal government’s investigation thanks to President Trump’s leadership, according to Gabbard, who led the interagency declassification process.
Although many of the files had been moved to the National Archives decades ago, they had remained closed to the public until now. The newly released materials include handwritten notes from the FBI and Justice Department, as well as photos of evidence and news clippings. Due to legibility issues in earlier black-and-white versions, some records had to be re-scanned in color.
Although it’s not clear whether these files contain any esoteric revelations, the Trump administration’s efforts to declassify information from earlier political events coincide with their release. Trump had previously authorised the release of information about President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 and promised more details about the death of Dr. King.
