US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing the declassification of documents related to the assassinations of President John F Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, as reported by Bloomberg.
Initially promising to release these documents during his first term, Trump ultimately acquiesced to requests from the intelligence community to keep much of the material classified. However, he renewed his commitment during his recent presidential campaign.
“I’m going to release everything,” Trump told reporters while signing the order in the Oval Office of the White House.
The order, signed by Trump on Thursday, asserts that any potential harm to defence, intelligence, law enforcement, or diplomatic operations is outweighed by the public’s right to know. It instructs top national security officials in his administration to submit a plan to Trump within 15 days on how to fully release the records.
“Their families and the American people deserve transparency and truth,” the order states. “It is in the national interest to finally release all records related to these assassinations without delay.”
Details of whether the executive order mandates a full declassification remain unclear.
