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By Jason Lemon and Andrew Stanton
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President Donald Trump's administration on Friday released a tranche of previously classified documents related to the assassination of former Senator Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) in 1968.
Why It Matters
Trump ordered the release of documents on the assassinations of RFK, as well as former President John F. Kennedy (JFK), upon his return to the White House in January.
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The assassinations have captivated the American public for decades, fueled conspiracy theories about whether or not there was more than the official story and sparked calls for more transparency.
What to Know
The Trump administration on Friday fulfilled the president's pledge to release documents into RFK's assassination, about a month after previously classified documents were released into JFK's assassination.
In a statement, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard said the release means 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."
"My team is honored that the President entrusted us to lead the declassification efforts and to shine a long-overdue light on the truth. I extend my deepest thanks for Bobby Kennedy and his families' support," she wrote.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the son of the late senator, described the move as "a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government."
"I commend President Trump for his courage and his commitment to transparency. I'm grateful also to Tulsi Gabbard for her dogged efforts to root out and declassify these documents," he said in the statement.
The Trump administration uploaded the documents to the National Archives webpage: archives.gov/research/rfk.
More than 10,000 pages of documents were included in the release. There will be "minimal redactions" to the files for Social Security numbers and Tax Identification Numbers, according to the DNI office. An additional 50,000 pages were discovered, and federal agencies are working to make these records available as well.
RFK served as his brother's attorney general and later a senator from New York before his assassination on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles. Then-24-year-old Sirhan Sirhan was arrested and convicted of the assassination.
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What People Are Saying
Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard on Fox News: "What we have just released here today is 10,000 pages that have been sitting in boxes within the national archives that have never been digitized or viewed publicly before. These are documents related to the government's investigation into the assassination."
Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "I applaud President Trump and his administration for their continued commitment to total transparency. Thank you to everyone at ODNI and NARA as well! This is a massive win for the American people."
What Happens Next?
Federal agencies will continue to search government facilities for additional files, which will be later added online, the office of the DNI said.
Update 4/18/25 10:39 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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