Judge: Temper expectations for new JFK assassination documents

A federal judge who has seen many of the soon-to-be released documents on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy said Wednesday that people excited for the release should temper their expectations.

Judge John Tunheim, a federal judge in Minnesota who served on the Assassination Records Review Board, told the Washington Examiner the documents scheduled to be released Thursday largely consist of intelligence-gathering information.

The board systematically reviewed millions of pages of documents relating to the assassination.

“So it might have been the name of an intelligence agent which we protected until we thought that they probably would no longer be with us,” Tunheim said.

Most of the documents relating to the Kennedy assassination have already been released. However, according to a 1992 law, any documents withheld by the board would be protected for 25 years. That deadline occurs this Thursday, though the president had the option to block the release.

President Trump tweeted Saturday that he would allow the documents to be shared.

“I believe that it’s time to release everything if for no other reason than some assurance that we can give to people who are interested in the subject that the government is no longer hiding information that relates to the Kennedy assassination,” Tunheim said.