Whoa, Trump is Going to Declassify the JFK Documents
Today, the New York Times reported that President Trump is going to declassify the cache of documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who was killed in 1963. We’re extremely wary of praising anything that POTUS #45 does, but maybe this isn’t the worst thing he’s done while in office. We also are fully aware that this is a way to deflect heat off the questions of his treatment towards a Gold Star family, and how Sgt. La David Johnson was killed in the first place.
The Warren Commission, in its report released in 1964, concluded that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone, and much of the documents related to their investigation were sealed. Many Americans were, and are, still very skeptical that the Warren’s account of the event is accurate. Conspiracy theories have abounded over the years, bubbling up most recently during the mid-90s when Congress passed a 1992 law mandating that the National Archives make the documents available to the public in 25 years…which is this year, 2017. Politico explained that Trump could block the release of the documents, but he’s signaled today that he plans to make them public.
So what does this mean, exactly? Well, most practically, it could settle long-standing conspiracy rumors. It could also kick off another wave of X-Files paranoia among theorists. Politico explains that many of the documents recount Oswald’s trip to Mexico, just weeks before he killed the President. “Previously released FBI documents suggest that Oswald spoke openly in Mexico about his intention to kill Kennedy,” Politico writes. Which, if true, reflects very poorly on intelligence services at the time, who were rumored to be surveilling Oswald.
Some of the more popular JFK conspiracy theories involve the Mafia, Cuban nationalists, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, who was sworn in as President while Jackie Kennedy was covered in blood and body matter from JFK’s shooting. Someone should let 45 know that Senator Ted Cruz’s dad did not actually have anything to do with the assassination.
Photos via Getty Images / Getty Images
Photos via Getty Images / Getty Images
Written by Meagan Fredette
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