JFK assassination: Trump to allow release of classified documents - cbsnews

President Trump announced on Twitter that he will allow the release of thousands of classified documents about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy after years of delays.

The unexpected move means the trove of never-before-seen documents are set to be released by the National Archives by Oct. 26.

"The President believes that these documents should be made available in the interests of full transparency unless agencies provide a compelling and clear national security or law enforcement justification otherwise," a White House official said Saturday afternoon.

The National Archives has until Thursday to disclose the remaining files related to Kennedy's 1963 assassination. The trove is expected to include more than 3,000 documents that have never been released to the public and more than 30,000 that have been previously released but with redactions.

Congress mandated in 1992 that all assassination documents be released within 25 years, but Mr. Trump has the power to block them on the grounds that making them public would harm intelligence or military operations, law enforcement or foreign relations.

"Thank you. This is the correct decision. Please do not allow exceptions for any agency of government," tweeted Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of a book about Kennedy, who has urged the president to release the files. "JFK files have been hidden too long."  - More

JFK assassination: Trump to allow release of classified documents ...