“Trump Announces Unredacted Release of JFK Files by Administration”
President Donald Trump announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he will allow the release of thousands of classified documents about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy after years of delays.
“The long anticipated release of the #JFKFiles will take place tomorrow,” Trump tweeted. “So interesting!”
The president did not provide further details, including whether he would allow the full release of the documents, which include FBI and CIA files.
In 1992, Congress mandated that all assassination documents be released within 25 years, but Trump has the power to block them on the grounds that making them public would harm intelligence, law enforcement, military operations or foreign relations.
Congress had ordered in 1992 that all records be released by Oct. 26, 2017, unless the president authorized the withholding of specific documents. The law allowed the president to keep them secret after that date but required that the American people be given a reason why.
The documents include more than 3,000 that have never been seen by the public and more than 30,000 that have been released previously, but with redactions.
Trump’s announcement followed a promise he made on Twitter Saturday evening, amid reports that some government agencies were urging him to block the release of some of the files on national security grounds.
“Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened,” Trump tweeted.
In the past, Trump has claimed, without evidence, that the father of GOP rival Sen. Ted Cruz was associated with Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.
In a May 2016 interview with Fox News, Trump said he would release all of the documents and would support the release of all the documents, “but, you know, after 50 years.”
“Can you imagine?” he said. “The cover-up was so obvious.”
The 1992 law was signed by President George H.W. Bush, who was in office at the time of the assassination in 1963.
Trump’s announcement came as he was preparing to depart for his first visit to Asia as president. The documents are set for release on Thursday.
The president has also claimed, without evidence, that millions of illegal votes were cast in the 2016 election, even though studies have found voter fraud to be exceedingly rare.
According to the Washington Post’s Fact Checker blog, Trump has made 1,318 false or misleading claims in the first 263 days of his presidency, an average of five per day.
Trump’s false claims have also had a significant impact on public discourse and trust in institutions. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that 64 percent of U.S. adults say fabricated news stories cause “a great deal of confusion” about the basic facts of current issues and events.
The release of the JFK files without redactions could provide some clarity on one of the most enduring mysteries in American history. But it also raises questions about the potential impact of false claims and misinformation on public trust and the democratic process. As the release date approaches, the nation waits to see what these documents will reveal.
Source link
Redirect URL