Trump says he’ll allow Kennedy assassination files to be released

President Trump said Saturday he would allow the release of confidential files related to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy.

“Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened,” Trump tweeted.

Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2017

A White House official said hours later that the documents would be released “unless agencies provide a compelling and clear national security or law enforcement justification otherwise,” and that Trump wants the documents released “in the interests of full transparency.”

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Thousands of documents related to Kennedy’s assassination are set to be released by the National Archives next week in compliance with the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, which states that the federal government must release them by Oct. 26, 2017.

Politico Magazine reported Friday that Trump administration officials were concerned that some of the documents created in the 1990s contain information on recent U.S. intelligence programs and might not be released.

White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters told the publication the White House is aiming “to ensure that the maximum amount of data can be released to the public” under the act. 

Politico also reported that longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone was urging Trump to release the files, and that Stone said in a recent interview he felt “optimistic” that Trump would allow the release of the files.

Updated: 2:26 p.m.