On Friday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – the son of the slain senator and the nephew of the assassinated president – expressed his support for President Donald Trump’s decision to declassify documents concerning the killings of both Kennedys as well as prominent civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Trump’s announcement to declassify related information follows years of speculation surrounding these high-profile murders. The government’s history of keeping the full results of its investigations private has led many to question the official accounts of these events.

“A government that withholds information shows a deep-seated fear of its citizens’ capacity to make informed choices and engage meaningfully in democracy,” said Kennedy, who is Trump’s nominee for the Department of Health and Human Services, in his statement.

Kennedy has long contested the official story of his father’s death, which was attributed to Sirhan Sirhan in 1968. He embraced Trump’s decision as an opportunity to restore the vision of America that his father, uncle, and King had been advocating for.

“Thank you, President Trump, for believing in American citizens and for initiating the journey toward correcting this troubling course,” Kennedy stated.

While Trump’s executive order issued on Thursday will not instantly release the assassination documents, it does require the director of national intelligence and the attorney general to collaborate with White House officials to devise a plan to release the John F. Kennedy records within 15 days. A proposal for the release of the other documents is expected within 45 days.

Numerous government records relating to the Kennedy assassinations have been made available, yet certain details remain classified and redacted. Trump’s order highlights that the federal government has also not disclosed all information regarding the other two killings.

Kennedy quoted his uncle, suggesting that the former president would have endorsed the publication of these files.

“The very term ‘secrecy’ is offensive in a free society; and as a people, we are fundamentally and historically opposed to secrecy,” Robert Kennedy Jr. wrote, referencing a speech delivered by John F. Kennedy in 1961. “We resolved a long time ago that the threats posed by excessive and unwarranted concealment of important facts are far more significant than the dangers cited as justification for it.”

JFK grandson criticizes RFK Jr.

Not every member of the Kennedy family agrees with Trump’s initiative to declassify information related to their relatives’ murders.

JFK’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, condemned Trump’s executive order.

“The reality is much more tragic than the myth — a disaster that could have been avoided. It’s not part of any grand theory,” he remarked in a statement. “Using declassification as a political tool to leverage JFK, who can’t defend himself, is not heroic.”

However, Schlossberg welcomed the forthcoming release of the files as a means to expose RFK Jr., whom he claims has “spread numerous lies regarding the JFK assassination.”

“Now that Trump has initiated the declassification, RFK Jr. can no longer hide behind it,” Schlossberg mentioned in a video aimed at podcast host Joe Rogan, who previously entertained RFK Jr.’s theories on his show. “You should invite him back on and examine all the new information, because it will undoubtedly show he was lying.”

What’s the official narrative? And what are the alternative stories?

Each of these assassinations has an official account detailing who was responsible and the motivations behind their actions, based on eyewitness testimonies, court decisions, and other records.

• JFK assassination on November 22, 1963: JFK, a charismatic leader who guided the nation during turbulent times, was shot in Dallas, Texas. He was assassinated during a motorcade while greeting enthusiastic supporters from an open-car roof. Shortly after, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested, but he was killed on live television two days later while being transferred to jail. The Warren Commission, tasked to investigate the assassination, determined that Oswald acted alone, as did his killer, Jack Ruby.
• Many skeptics believe the commission’s findings were part of a government-conducted cover-up. Conspiracy theories have emerged, linking the assassination to various parties, including Cuba, the CIA, and others.
• MLK assassination on April 4, 1968 in Memphis: King was shot while on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, as he was there to support striking workers. He was talking to colleagues when he was fatally shot. James Earl Ray, a 40-year-old fugitive, eventually confessed to the crime and received a 99-year prison sentence.
• However, Ray later recanted his confession, claiming he was framed by an individual named Raoul, and maintained his innocence until his death in 1998. In later years, both a tavern owner in Memphis and a former FBI agent asserted that a character named Raoul was involved in King’s assassination.
• RFK assassinated on June 5, 1968 in Los Angeles: Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel shortly after announcing his victory in the California Democratic primary. After delivering gratitude to supporters in a ballroom, he was directed to the kitchen as a shortcut to a press area where he was shot by Sirhan while shaking hands with a hotel employee. Sirhan remains incarcerated.
• Questions regarding the validity of RFK’s assassination narrative arise due to evidence from witnesses who indicated that Sirhan was in front of Kennedy while the lethal shot originated from behind him, as noted by RFK documentarian Shane O’Sullivan. The filmmaker also pointed to a recording suggesting a second gun was fired and mentioned that RFK’s coroner has called for a re-examination of the case.