'Light on the truth': Gabbard announces RFK files released months after Trump's order
Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard announced the release of the first batch of Robert F. Kennedy assassination files on Friday after teasing the news earlier this month.
"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 released. "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."
Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in the same statement that releasing the files was "a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government."
"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," he continued.
Likewise, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reacted to the files' release on X on Friday morning, writing, "RFK Files have been released. Promises Made. Promises Kept."
During a Friday morning appearance on "FOX and Friends," Gabbard said 10,000 pages had been released — none of which had previously been digitized or publicly viewed. Gabbard said the files included documents regarding the government's investigation of the assassination and "questions and theories" as the investigation played out, as well as State Department conversations and insight.
"The significance of this is huge," Gabbard said. "It's been nearly 60 years since Senator Kennedy was assassinated. We're obviously not stopping here."
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Gabbard also said that "just the other day, we discovered over 50,000 additional pages solely around Senator Kennedy's assassination," saying she had "over 100 people at National Archives" scanning through the documents in anticipation of a second release.
"Nearly six decades have passed since the tragic assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and these historic files have been hidden from the American people all this time — until now," a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "In the name of maximum transparency, President Trump has released over 10,000 pages of the RFK files with more to come. There has never been a more transparent president in the history of our country than President Donald J. Trump. Another promise made and promise kept."
Gabbard had previously mentioned the files' drop on April 10 during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, saying at the time that more than 100 people had been "working around the clock" scanning paperwork related to both the Martin Luther King Jr. and RFK assassinations and subsequent investigations.
"These have been sitting in boxes in storage for decades," Gabbard told President Donald Trump. Kennedy was also present during the meeting.
"They have never been scanned or seen before. We'll have those ready to release here within the next few days," Gabbard said.
The RFK files' release comes as a result of Trump's declassification executive order issued shortly after he started his second term. The order specifically seeks to declassify files on the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert and civil rights icon King.
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Trump had previously promised to declassify the documents while on the campaign trail, saying at the time, "When I return to the White House, I will declassify and unseal all JFK assassination-related documents. It’s been 60 years, time for the American people to know the truth."
According to the order, the director of national intelligence and other officials were expected to submit their proposed release plans for the RFK and MLK files on March 9.
DNI and the attorney general were previously given a Feb. 7 deadline to submit their release plans for the JFK files.
The Justice Department saw a fallout in late February after releasing a batch of Jeffrey Epstein files. Many of the documents publicized then had already been released during the federal criminal trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former lover and convicted accomplice.
Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.