RFK Jr slams CIA over seizure of uncle JFK's assassination records, calls it 'illegal'

WASHINGTON, DC: Robert F Kennedy Jr unloaded on the CIA this week over reports that the agency had taken possession of long-secret files tied to the assassination of his uncle, former President John F Kennedy. 

Speaking to the New York Post in Iowa while promoting Make America Healthy Again legislation, the Health and Human Services secretary criticized what had been reported as the CIA’s seizure of boxes of JFK-related records from the office of outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

RFK Jr questions why records still aren’t out

Kennedy, 72, was asked about the reported handling of the documents.

“This is yet another inexplicable move by the CIA that it’s hard to put a face on it that’s not sinister – because it’s illegal,” he told the Post.

He pointed to the John F Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, which required the eventual release of all assassination-related material and set 2025 as the final deadline.

“I mean, the JFK assassination document act said they had to release all of that stuff,” he continued.

President Trump had also moved to accelerate the process after returning to office, signing an executive order aimed at ending what he called the “endless delays” in releasing the records.

Kennedy admitted he didn’t have an explanation for why the CIA would continue resisting disclosure after decades of public pressure.

“I don’t know. I mean, obviously, there’s something that they feel like that they don’t want the public to read,” he said. “It’s very strange.”

Kennedy also backed a fresh effort by House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep James Comer (R-Ky) and Rep Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla) to pressure the agency into turning over any remaining material.

“I’m grateful to them for doing that,” he said. “I don’t even know if you need Congress, but I’m glad that Congress responded,” he said.

The claim unravels as officials push back

But by Saturday, RFK Jr appeared to go back on his claims.

In a post on X, he said he had “immediately investigated” reports that the CIA had reclaimed files connected to JFK’s assassination and had “determined the story was false.”

The CIA forcefully denied accusations that it withheld records or removed materials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence during the declassification review.

“ODNI has acknowledged in writing they made a mistake saying that boxes were seized and then were again mistaken in saying there were ever any boxes either missing or not made available. ODNI has acknowledged all boxes have been made available to them for more than a year,” a CIA spokesperson told the Post.

The White House issued a similar response.

A spokesperson said they "can confirm that all such relevant documents were either provided or made available for review by ODNI, and no documents were taken from their offices."

Whistleblower claims keep JFK fire burning

RFK Jr’s original remarks came after renewed attention on assassination records, including the New York Post’s February report on efforts to force disclosure of what the government knows about 8mm footage captured by Dallas air-conditioning repairman Orville Nix during the assassination.

Former CIA officer James Erdman testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs last week, claiming the CIA had removed 40 boxes of assassination records from Gabbard’s office that were allegedly “being processed for declassification.”

According to Erdman, those materials included records tied to the CIA’s once-secret MK-Ultra program, which operated from the 1950s through the 1970s and involved experiments focused on mind control and human behavior modification.

RFK Jr has previously tied those programs to suspicions around his uncle’s death.

Speaking on the Shawn Ryan show in 2024, Kennedy said the CIA “was directly involved in my uncle’s assassination, and in the 60-year cover-up.”

“The ‘MK’ stands for mind control, and the CIA had these programs at Fort Detrick [Army labs in Maryland], but at 220 universities around our country,” he told the podcast.

His office did not say whether his latest comments were connected to MK-Ultra.

Meanwhile, pressure on the intelligence community continued.

Heated back and forth

Luna visited CIA headquarters in Langley last week, according to the agency, after posting a warning online.

“The CIA has 24 hours to return the documents to Tulsi Gabbard’s office or else I will make a motion to issue a subpoena,” she posted May 13.

Luna and Comer later sent a letter to CIA Director John Ratcliffe requesting preservation of assassination and MK-Ultra records.

CIA spokeswoman Liz Lyons accused the Senate panel of acting in “bad faith” by subpoenaing the witness without notifying the agency, while DNI spokeswoman Olivia Coleman rejected descriptions of a CIA “raid.”

“This is false – the CIA did not raid the DNI’s office,” Coleman wrote in response to a now-deleted post.

Sen Mike Lee (R-Utah), however, argued the location of the records wasn’t the point.

“It’s immaterial whether those documents were in her personal office. If those documents were taken away from her custody by CIA as she was preparing to declassify them, that’s a problem,” Lee responded.