- Recently, President Trump questioned the idea that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating former President John F. Kennedy. The statement is at odds with the official FBI retelling.
- The president’s comments came in response to a question over whether he believed “Oswald killed JFK?”
- Trump said, “I do, and I’ve always thought that. Of course, was he helped?”
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President Donald Trump recently seemed to question whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of John F. Kennedy, a statement at odds with the FBI’s conclusion on the infamous killing.
What’s the context?
Trump’s remarks came in an interview with OutKick founder and conservative radio host Clay Travis during the weekend of March 21 on Air Force One.
Trump’s comments came in response to a question over whether he believed in the official telling of Kennedy’s death, being asked if, “Oswald killed JFK?”
Trump responded, saying, “I do, and I’ve always thought that. Of course, was he helped?”
The renewed conversation around JFK
The president’s remarks came as tens of thousands of files on the assassination of JFK were recently released by his administration. Trump also called the findings “somewhat unspectacular” in the interview.
The release of thousands of pages of files detailing the JFK assassination has sparked renewed interest in the notorious historical event that has long been the subject of widespread conspiracy theories and speculation.
The FBI held roughly 25,000 interviews in the wake of the killing of JFK, ultimately determining that 24-year-old Lee Harvey Oswald, a U.S. Marine, shot and killed the president, acting alone, and was murdered days later by Texas nightclub owner Jack Ruby.
What do the newly released documents say?
Much of the findings in the recent files have already been examined.
The pages released by the Trump administration mention a claim by CIA informant and former U.S. Army Capt. John Garrett Underhill Jr., which states that a small group within the CIA was responsible for the killing of JFK, an accusation known to the public. The pages also feature known claims of Oswald being observed in the former Soviet Union as a “remarkably poor shot.”
Despite these theories, the FBI concluded that Oswald was the lone killer in the case.
Trump previously said he doesn’t believe the released documents are anything “earth-shattering.”
What is the bigger picture?
Trump pushed for transparency in releasing the JFK files and vows to release other classified documents, including those linked to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
