| Declassification of Records Concerning the Assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. | |
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 Front page of Executive Order 14176 | |
| Type | Executive order |
|---|---|
| Number | 14176 |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Signed | January 23, 2025 |
| Federal Register details | |
| Federal Register document number | 2025-02116  |
| Publication date | January 23, 2025 |
| Summary | |
| Orders the declassification of documents relating to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. | |
Executive Order 14176, titled "Declassification of Records Concerning the Assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.", is anexecutive order signed byDonald Trump on January 23, 2025, todeclassify records about theassassinations of John F. Kennedy,Robert F. Kennedy, andMartin Luther King. The John F. Kennedy assassination files were released in March 2025,[1][2][3] the Robert F. Kennedy assassination files were released in April, May, and June 2025,[4][5][6] and the Martin Luther King assassination files were released in July 2025.[7][8]
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. His younger brotherRobert F. Kennedy was assassinated, having been shot on June 5, 1968, and dying the day after. Civil rights leaderMartin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968.[9] These assassinations have attracted several conspiracy theories, which have been exacerbated by the fact that several documents have remained classified.[9][10]
A law signed during the presidency ofGeorge H. W. Bush ordered the declassification of all records relating to the assassination of President Kennedy inOctober 2017. When this time arrived duringDonald Trump's first presidency, several documents were declassified; however, others remained classified. In 2021 PresidentJoe Biden signed apresidential memorandum which created deadlines for more declassifications of documents about the assassination, which led to over 13,000 documents being released.[11]
While Trump stated in his first presidency that he intended to declassify the remaining classified records, he later abstained from doing so due to appeals relating to national security reasons by theCIA andFBI.[12] Subsequently, he later promised again duringhis 2024 presidential campaign to declassify the remaining documents.[13]
The executive order says that thedirector of national intelligence will, within 15 days, develop a plan to release the records concerning the assassination of JFK, and develop plans within 45 days for RFK and King.[13]
Trump told his aide that the pen he used to sign the executive order is to be given toRobert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of RFK and nephew of JFK, and Trump's nominee forSecretary of Health and Human Services.[13] Trump said "that's a big one" and "everything will be revealed" when referring to the executive order.[14]
November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968 | ||
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