Schweikert Introduces Bill Releasing JFK Assassination Files

Representative David Schweikert (R-AZ) has introduced legislation to declassify the remaining files related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, saying, "The moment we begin to treat our country like adults is when they will start to trust in American institutions once again."

Rep. Schweikert's bill, named the "Justice for Kennedy" Act, would require the public release of the approximately 3,000-4,000 files and 515 documents related to the Kennedy Assassination held by the National Archives and Records Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State.

As explained in his press release, the records of JFK's assassination were required to be held in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) via the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992.

Moreover, the records were to be opened in 2017. Still, as Politico reported five years later, in 2022, they remain classified due to "a fierce bureaucratic war over the documents in recent years, pitting the Archives against the CIA, FBI, and other agencies that want to keep them secret."

Such a delay seemed to confirm the biases of conspiracy theorists insisting Lee Harvey Oswald was not acting alone. However, the CIA, FBI, and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have said the information is not directly related to the assassination itself. Instead, the remaining files contain the names of still-living informants and assets from the period and the locations of safe houses still in use.

In a statement, Rep. Schweikert said, "Freedom of information is more important than vanity. The only way we can have a functioning republic is if we have access to information, and sometimes, that includes the potentially uncomfortable truth."

Additionally, the Arizona Congressman emphasized, "That's why I introduced the Justice for Kennedy Act, requiring all assassination records be unclassified and unredacted. The moment we begin to treat our country like adults is when they will start to trust in American institutions once again."