On Monday, April 21, the Trump Administration decided to release the first batch of the RFK assassination files after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 23, allowing every American citizen to see federal government documents related to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy, Democratic Senator Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.
It has been 57 years since the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in particular. Before today, no American in this country has had a clear understanding of how R. Kennedy was killed and the investigations that took place to solve his murder. At the time, R. Kennedy was killed when he was campaigning to be the President of the country.
“Nearly 60 years after the tragic assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, the American people will, for the first time, have the opportunity to review the federal government’s investigation thanks to the leadership of President Trump,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said.
The National Archives, an online presidential record resource, released 229 files which were made up of more than 10,000 pages, and additional releases are yet to come. It hasn’t been made clear yet how much new information has been openly stated in the released documents and no key information has changed the public’s view of what they understood happened.
While this move may seem transparent towards citizens, the Trump administration has received criticism for disclosing personal information on behalf of the country’s intelligence agencies. The release of these files has led to some potential suspects and social security numbers being openly shown, in which the people still alive that were a part of this event feel that their information was released without consent.
“The people in power in charge of making decisions for our country should be more thoughtful and considerate towards the people of this country,” a student expressed anonymously.
There have been conspiracy theories about R. Kennedy’s shooting regarding who really killed him. Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian-Jordanian man, was convicted of assassinating R. Kennedy while he campaigned for presidency in 1968, but some people have suggested that either he was set up by someone working for him on the inside or another shooter was involved. Sirhan admitted that he did kill Kennedy due to his support for Israel, but then later on said he doesn’t remember committing that action.
