Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democratic presidential contender, has once again voiced his discontent with the current administration. This time, Kennedy expressed his frustration over President Joe Biden’s decision to indefinitely withhold certain records pertaining to the assassination of his uncle, former President John F. Kennedy.
Taking to Twitter, Kennedy launched a scathing attack on what he referred to as a “midnight announcement” made by the White House. He emphasized that the issue is not about conspiracy theories but rather transparency. In his tweet, Kennedy denounced the decision to maintain secrecy surrounding the JFK assassination records. He said, “It’s not about conspiracy – it is about transparency.” In a midnight Friday night announcement, the White House delivered the bad news that President Biden will maintain secrecy indefinitely on some JFK assassination-related records.
Kennedy’s remarks seemed to reference a memorandum released by the White House to executive branch departments and agencies on the matter. The memorandum justified the continued postponement of public disclosure, citing the need to protect against identifiable harms to military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement, and foreign relations.
Kennedy found it puzzling that there would still be “identifiable harm” in releasing information nearly six decades after the assassination. He questioned the motive behind concealing the records and demanded answers. He questioned why any national security secrets could still be at risk 60 years after the assassination. He wondered what they could be hiding.
Kennedy further criticized the announcement as unlawful, pointing out that the JFK Records Act, passed unanimously by Congress in 1992, promised the release of all assassination-related records no later than October 2017. He concluded his tweet by expressing his disappointment with the broken promise. Kennedy said, “This promise has been broken once again with this midnight announcement.”
Kennedy seized the opportunity to promote his own presidential candidacy for 2024, emphasizing the need to regain public trust. While Joe Biden remains the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the upcoming election, Kennedy has garnered support from voters due to his moderate stance within the increasingly left-leaning Democratic Party.