Trump Admin Releases 10,000 Previously Classified RFK Assassination Files

The records had never been digitized or made public, despite decades of speculation and calls for greater transparency.

Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) announces his candidacy for president at a press conference in Washington on March 16, 1968. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

More than 10,000 pages of previously classified government records related to the 1968 assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy were released by the Trump administration on Friday, April 18.

The documents, now available online through the National Archives website, were digitized and declassified under a directive from President Donald Trump, who pledged to increase transparency within the intelligence community. The move marks the first public release of federal files specifically concerning RFK’s assassination, which had remained largely inaccessible for decades.

Unlike records connected to President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination, which were mandated to be released under the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, materials related to RFK’s killing had never been processed or digitized for public access.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard led the release effort through her office’s Director’s Initiatives Group. The group worked in partnership with the National Archives and other federal agencies to scan and upload the records for public viewing.

“Nearly 60 years after the tragic assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, 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,” Gabbard said in a statement. “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.”

The newly released records were previously stored in various federal facilities and had not been made publicly available, Gabbard said in the statement. According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the files were reviewed and published with limited redactions for privacy protections, such as Social Security and Tax Identification numbers.

The day before the records were released, Gabbard told The Daily Wire that while the files may not contain a definitive “smoking gun,” they include previously unknown information that could raise new questions about Kennedy’s assassination. She said some of the documents reference discussions in other countries and messages circulating at the time that may challenge the official narrative.

Kennedy first served as attorney general during his brother John F. Kennedy’s presidency before being elected to the Senate in 1965. He launched a presidential campaign in 1968 while representing New York. On June 5, 1968, Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian immigrant. He died the following day.

Sirhan admitted to the shooting during his 1969 trial but later said he had no memory of it. In a 1989 interview with journalist David Frost, Sirhan said he felt betrayed by Kennedy over his support for Israel—though questions have long surrounded the case. The autopsy found that Kennedy was shot from behind at close range, which has raised questions, since Sirhan was standing in front of him.

Among those who have questioned the official narrative is Kennedy’s son, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In 2017, he told The Washington Post that he believed Sirhan did not kill his father and called for further investigation, and in 2021, he supported Sirhan’s bid for parole, which was initially approved but later overturned by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In a joint statement with Gabbard, Kennedy Jr. praised the release of the classified documents and the officials involved.

“Lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government,” Kennedy said. “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.”

In his executive order authorizing the release, Trump said that while no federal law required the disclosure of RFK or Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assassination records, it was in the public interest to make them available.

An additional 50,000 pages of RFK-related materials have been located in FBI and CIA warehouses that were not previously turned over to the National Archives, officials said. Those records are still being reviewed and will be released in future installments.

The files can be accessed at archives.gov/rfk, with future updates to come from Gabbard on social media, the statement said.