Trump orders release of 10,000 pages on Robert F. Kennedy assassination case
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (Photo: Getty Images)
On Friday, the US government released thousands of previously classified documents on the 1968 assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, following an executive order by Donald Trump, reports AP News.
Decades-old files reveal new details on RFK killing
The National Archives posted 229 case files totaling around 10,000 pages related to the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, who was shot on June 5, 1968, moments after giving a victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.
Convicted gunman Sirhan Sirhan is still serving a life sentence for the killing.
John F. Kennedy, a symbol of hope and tragedy (Photo: Getty Images)
Among the newly released material are images of handwritten notes by Sirhan.
One striking note, scribbled on an envelope bearing the return address of a local IRS official, read: "RFK must be disposed of like his brother was."
While some documents had been made public in earlier years, others remained in government archives for decades, undigitized and unseen.
"This is the first time the American people will be able to review the federal investigation thanks to President Trump’s leadership," said Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. She added that the release "shines a long-overdue light on the truth."
Political implications and renewed questions about US intelligence
The RFK archive publication comes just a month after the release of unredacted files on the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
While those documents provided deeper insight into Cold War covert operations, they did little to validate long-standing conspiracy theories.
Trump, a vocal advocate of transparency and critic of US intelligence agencies, signed an executive order in January mandating the release of documents related to both the RFK and Martin Luther King Jr. assassinations. His decision opens the door to greater public scrutiny of institutions like the FBI and CIA.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., son of the slain senator, praised Trump and Gabbard for their "courage" in making the files public. "Lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government," he said.
This document release could spark renewed national interest in other long-sealed investigations and reshape how the public views America's political history.
