Trump signs order to declassify files on JFK, MLK assassinations

President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to declassify files on the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. 

Trump had promised to declassify the previously-classified documents during his 2024 campaign.

"Everything will be revealed," Trump told reporters as he signed the order in the Oval Office of the White House.

After appeals from the CIA and FBI, Trump blocked the release of hundreds of records. Trump said at the time the potential harm to U.S. national security, law enforcement or foreign affairs is "of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in immediate disclosure."

Trump's promise to also release outstanding documents related to King and former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy leaves questions as to how the president-elect will speed up the releases.

Under the Martin Luther King Jr. Records Collection Act, the remaining files pertaining to King are not due for release until 2027.