The administration of former President Trump is set to unveil new documents regarding the 1968 assassination of former Senator Robert F. Kennedy, as announced by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Thursday. This announcement has reignited interest in a murder case that has captivated the public for many years.
It remains uncertain what new insights, if any, will arise from this release. However, the initiative has received support from President Trump and his Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of the late politician.
During the cabinet meeting where Gabbard made her announcement, the Health Secretary, who has consistently suggested that his father’s convicted killer, Sirhan Sirhan, may be innocent, expressed his gratitude for the forthcoming release. President Trump remarked, “it’s time.”
Why is the Trump administration releasing files on RFK?
Shortly after assuming office, President Trump issued an executive order instructing his administration to release files related to the assassinations of three prominent figures from the 1960s: President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy, and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The administration previously released a collection of newly unredacted documents concerning John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 last month. Gabbard informed the Cabinet that “over a hundred people are working tirelessly to digitize documents” related to the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and King, and that her team would have them ready for release in the next few days.
What do we expect in the newly released RFK files?
The specific documents held by the federal government regarding Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination and those set for release remain unknown. Moreover, it is unclear whether these documents will reveal any new information. However, Gabbard mentioned that there are files that have been “sitting in boxes in storage for decades” and “have never been digitized or reviewed.”
Many documents regarding Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination are already publicly accessible. California has maintained tens of thousands of pages related to the murder since the late 1980s, incorporating extensive records from the Los Angeles Police Department’s initial investigation into Sirhan. According to the state, the majority of these documents are available to the public, stating, “every effort has been made to provide the fullest possible disclosure of the records.”
The University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, also houses an archive of public records pertaining to the assassination.
Writer Tim Tate, who argues that Sirhan did not fire the shots that killed Robert F. Kennedy, expressed caution regarding the Trump administration’s commitment to releasing new documents. He pointed out that the files at the California state archive, including records from a separate FBI investigation, are supposed to be comprehensive. He noted that it would be “disturbing” if any files from the FBI or other agencies were missing, but he remains uncertain about what, if anything, has been withheld.
Tate speculated that “it could all turn out to be a great big nothing burger.”
Similarly, writer Dan Moldea, who asserts that Sirhan was the sole perpetrator of the assassination, stated he “can’t imagine anything significant emerging from the RFK files.”
“I can’t envision any valuable information arising from this,” Moldea remarked. “Any crucial details would have been included in the LAPD files.”
Conversely, writer Lisa Pease, who contends that Sirhan did not kill Robert F. Kennedy, shared her belief that the federal government may possess documents that could illuminate the assassination further. She highlighted records indicating that the CIA communicated with the Los Angeles Police Department about Sirhan during its investigation.
“We’ve only seen the LAPD’s perspective on that dialogue, making this our first opportunity to perhaps discover the CIA’s accounts related to those discussions,” Pease said. “I believe there could be some very intriguing files.”
Who assassinated RFK — and why is RFK Jr. interested in it?
Robert F. Kennedy, at the time a senator from New York and a prominent Democratic presidential candidate, was mortally wounded at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, injuring five others in the process. Sirhan was found guilty of first-degree murder for the killing in 1969 and has spent over fifty years in a California prison, losing numerous parole appeals.
Sirhan, whose family is of Palestinian descent, has admitted to killing Kennedy, claiming his actions were motivated by the candidate’s support for Israel. However, he has also professed his innocence at various times or stated that he couldn’t recall crucial details regarding the incident.
Over the years, critics of the investigation have questioned whether Sirhan was the actual assassin or suggested there may have been multiple gunmen. They often point to discrepancies between an autopsy report and eyewitness accounts, as well as inconsistent evidence about the number of shots fired. Nonetheless, many other researchers support the conclusion that Sirhan acted alone.
A notable skeptic is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of RFK. He met with Sirhan in prison in 2018 and later expressed to the Washington Post that he felt “disturbed that the wrong person might have been convicted of killing my father.” He, alongside his brother Douglas Kennedy, supported Sirhan’s 2021 parole application; however, California’s parole board subsequently recommended against his release, which was later denied by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Several of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s siblings oppose their brother’s views, firmly rejecting Sirhan’s attempts at gaining parole. Chris Kennedy told “CBS Sunday Morning” in 2021 that he does not believe Sirhan’s claims of innocence: “I know he’s a murderer, so it’s not a big leap to believe he’s a liar,” he asserted.
