Tulsi Gabbard Seizes CIA Documents on Assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK

Post by : Raina Nasser

In a surprising move in early April 2025, officials entered a covert CIA storage facility near Washington, D.C., tasked with obtaining classified files linking to the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. This audacious operation was spearheaded by Tulsi Gabbard, serving as Director of National Intelligence (DNI), under an executive order from then-President Donald Trump, issued in January 2025 aimed at declassifying these vital records.

The investigation was headed by Paul Allen McDonald II from the Defense Intelligence Agency, who ensured the swift transfer of numerous documents from CIA holdings to the National Archives, in hopes of facilitating their public release. Notable among the team was Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a former CIA agent and daughter-in-law of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was instrumental in digitizing the files while on site.

This unexpected initiative left the CIA taken aback, as Gabbard's office had not communicated beforehand regarding this directive. The interactions were reportedly tense at various points, highlighted by some friction, yet both parties maintained a professional demeanor while striving to meet the stringent timelines set for document release.

The executive order mandated a rigid 45-day timeframe for intelligence agencies to assess and formulate plans to declassify documents related to the prominent assassinations. Gabbard’s office expressed mounting frustration over what they perceived as slow progress, compelling her to take decisive action and demand prompt compliance from the CIA.

The significance of this declassification process cannot be understated, as the killings of John F. Kennedy in 1963, Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, and Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 have long generated both public intrigue and speculation. Official investigations concluded these were the acts of solitary gunmen, yet many in the American public continue to question the comprehensive truth behind these events.

Post-operation, the National Archives initiated the release of tens of thousands of documents, including CIA materials, for public scrutiny. These documents provided further insight into what intelligence agencies understood at that time, though they did not contest the established conclusions regarding the assassinations.

Throughout this engagement, both the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the CIA collaborated closely to achieve the president's goal of transparency, while also striving to rebuild public trust in intelligence entities. This case also underlines the internal strife within Washington as various governmental agencies navigate the delicate balance between confidentiality and the public’s right to access information.

The file recovery and push for transparency echo ongoing endeavors to illuminate significant events in American history and to clarify enduring uncertainties surrounding these heart-wrenching occurrences. Efforts will persist, with additional documents set to be analyzed and released in the forthcoming months.