CIA releases declassified documents on Robert F Kennedy assassination
CIA Director John Ratcliffe released the documents in response to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump to declassify files on the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. and RFK.
According to the CIA, the latest batch of documents complements the thousands of pages the agency provided to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) as part of their public releases related to JFK earlier this year.
The most recent release shows for the first time that RFK, as a senator, shared his experiences traveling to the former Soviet Union with the CIA while reflecting his patriotic commitment to serving his country.
"Today's release delivers on President Trump's commitment to maximum transparency, enabling the CIA to shine light on information that serves the public interest," Ratcliffe said. "I am proud to share our work on this incredibly important topic with the American people."
Along with sharing information about RFK's Soviet Union experiences, the files also dive into the psychological assessments of Sirhan Sirhan, the man who shot and killed RFK in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968.
In a personality assessment memo on July 8, 1968, federal authorities declared that "under no circumstances would we have predicted that [Sirhan] was 'capable' of doing what he did."
In the same memo, the feds said the odds of Sirhan being successful were "tremendous."
"Obviously, we cannot see him as part of a conspiracy," the memo read. "He could be a tool of a conspiracy in the sense that the attempted assassin of Secretary of State [William] Seward and the assigned assassin of Vice President Andrew Johnson [George Atzerodt] were tools of the [John Wilkes] Booth conspiracy. It is very likely, however, that he could have effectively acted under precise instructions."
It goes on to say that most people of the type of attack Sirhan was accused of at the time attack their mother or their girlfriend.
"Occasionally they will lash out against an employer or colleagues (a case in point is the recent Pennsylvania case of the 'quiet' man who killed his car pool and then himself)," the memo read. "Sometimes they will pick public figures and make abortive attempts to get at them. Essentially, we see Sirhan as being more like the impulsive assassins of [former presidents James] Garfield and [William] McKinley than the calculating assassins of [Abraham] Lincoln and President Kennedy."
The file release is what the CIA said was a collaborative effort directed by Trump and led by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard with coordination from the CIA, Department of Justice, FBI and NARA.
"Today's release is another important step in fulfilling President Trump's commitment to maximum transparency. Thank you to those at the CIA, ODNI, and NARA who worked hard to locate, review, and digitize these documents, many of which have never been released publicly before," Gabbard said. "We will continue coordinating with our partners across the Intelligence Community to fulfill President Trump's promise of maximum transparency."
The documents are available to the public and can be viewed by visiting cia.gov and archives.gov/rfk.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was a guest on Fox News' "The Story" on Thursday and told host Martha MacCallum that he did not know his father was reporting back to the CIA during his trip to the Soviet Union in 1955, when he was a Senate aide.
"My mother was on that trip," RFK Jr. said. "She joined him in St. Petersburg, and she actually was working for the CIA at that time, and she was wearing a carnation in her lapel that was attached to a little bubble where she could take pictures."
RFK Jr. continued by saying the Soviets had brought artwork back to now-St. Petersburg after the defeat of Nazi Germany. The Germans, he explained, had confiscated the artwork from some of the Jewish families and that the CIA was interested in that.
"I don't think it was anything of grave national security interest, but it was, you know, it's an interesting fact that I didn't know about my dad," he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
7 hours ago
- CBS News
CIA Director Ratcliffe "strongly supports" Gabbard declassification of sensitive documents, agency says
CIA Director John Ratcliffe "strongly supports the public release" this week of highly sensitive documents by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, according to a CIA spokesperson, who said Ratcliffe "initiated" the declassification process after he took the helm at the agency this year. Gabbard's office publicly released a report drafted in 2017 by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee on Russian activity during the 2016 election, sparking concerns about risks to sensitive sources and methods. She said Wednesday that the document contained additional evidence that Obama administration officials "manufactured" a narrative about Russia's actions that was designed to undercut President Trump. Gabbard also declassified a swath of documents related to the 2016 election last Friday. "CIA Director Ratcliffe strongly supports the public release of HPSCI's report, which was the result of a process initiated by CIA and led by DNI Gabbard," the CIA spokesperson said, using an abbreviation for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. "This effort reflects Director Ratcliffe's continued commitment to elevating the truth and bringing transparency to the American people and would not have been possible without his directive to return it to the committee," the spokesperson added. The House report, which the committee's Republican staff finalized in December 2017 but updated through 2020, was so highly classified that it was stored at CIA headquarters before Ratcliffe sent it back to the House panel and ultimately toward public release, CBS News has learned. The committee made it available to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or ODNI, according to an ODNI official with knowledge of the declassification process. Gabbard would normally have been required to consult with the intelligence agencies that had contributed sensitive information to the report before declassifying it, but Mr. Trump — who made the decision to declassify the document with relatively few redactions — was not under the same obligations, the official said. The report was written in large part by then-committee staffer Kash Patel, now the FBI director, according to one current and one former official. It contained discussions about raw intelligence from a CIA source the agency had recruited in Russia, and questioned whether analysts had sufficiently taken into account the source's motivations, proximity to Putin or potential bias towards Mr. Trump. The CIA source's information helped inform the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment, or ICA, which concluded in part that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government aspired to help then-candidate Donald Trump's election chances by discrediting Secretary Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to him. The U.S. exfiltrated a CIA asset from Russia in 2017, CBS News previously confirmed. That judgment within the ICA has vexed Mr. Trump for years and has been a key focus of Gabbard's recent declassifications. Gabbard has claimed the documents released by her office reveal a "treasonous conspiracy" by Obama-era officials to undermine Mr. Trump during his first term by alleging Russian efforts to help him win in 2016. Gabbard says she has forwarded the records to the Justice Department as part of a criminal referral. Obama's spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush called Gabbard's accusations "bizarre" and "ridiculous" earlier this week. The ICA's judgement about Russian actions in 2016 was also the focus of a recent CIA internal review under Ratcliffe. Released earlier this month, that review contained far fewer of the sensitive details included in the House Republicans' report and said the judgment on Putin's preference for Trump should have been issued with moderate rather than high confidence. But it said it did not dispute the "quality and credibility" of the information. The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Mark Warner, called the release of the House committee's report by Gabbard "desperate and irresponsible." He said it put highly sensitive sources at risk and could disincentivize potential spies from working for the U.S. government. "Tell me how you're going to recruit somebody to, in one of our adversarial nations, maybe work with us, if that information is carelessly thrown around," Warner said to reporters on Wednesday. Ratcliffe, who previously served on the House Intelligence Committee as a congressman from Texas, has said one of his primary objectives as CIA director would be to reinvigorate intelligence collection from human sources. Current and former national security officials have said intelligence provided by human sources, known as HUMINT, has dropped off in recent years, as surveillance technologies have become more sophisticated and ubiquitous. Human sources — especially those with proximity to world leaders in adversarial countries like Russia, China and North Korea — are especially prized and especially rare, given how risky, if not life-threatening, it can be for them to provide information to a foreign intelligence agency. Information provided by human sources typically remains classified for decades, often up to 75 years, according to government classification rules. At his Senate confirmation hearing in January, Ratcliffe said the recruitment of human spies by the CIA is "not where it needs to be." "I do want to spend time looking at that," he said. The CIA has recently released recruitment videos in multiple languages with the aim of enticing potential human sources in Iran, China and Russia to come He and James LaPorta contributed to this report.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tulsi Gabbard Smears Hillary Clinton as Secret Drug User in Deranged Rant
The Trump administration's intelligence chief says Russia had dirt on Hillary Clinton that it suppressed in the final stretch of the 2016 election—including claims she was on a daily diet of heavy tranquilizers and suffering 'intensified psycho-emotional problems.' The wild and entirely unproven details were outlined by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard during a White House briefing on Wednesday—without a shred of evidence being presented. Gabbard cited the findings of a newly declassified report that she says showed Obama officials engaged in a conspiracy to subvert Donald Trump's first election victory. 'There is irrefutable evidence that details how President Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an intelligence community assessment that they knew was false,' Gabbard said. 'They knew it would promote this contrived narrative that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help President Trump win, selling it to the American people as though it were true; it wasn't.' The document released by Gabbard on Wednesday was based on an intelligence community assessment into Russia's influence campaign on the 2016 election. It suggests that Russian intelligence obtained damaging information about Clinton, a former secretary of state who was campaigning to win the White House against Trump in 2016, but chose not to release it. The plan was to instead release the material after the election 'to weaken what Moscow viewed as an inevitable Clinton presidency.' Among the Russian intelligence was what Gabbard described as 'high-level Democratic National Committee emails that detailed evidence of Hillary's, quote: 'psycho emotional problems, uncontrolled fits of anger, aggression and cheerfulness' and that then Secretary Clinton was allegedly on a daily regimen of heavy tranquilizers. 'Then CIA Director (John) Brennan and the intelligence community mischaracterized intelligence and relied on dubious, substandard sources to create a contrived false narrative that Putin developed a quote, unquote 'clear preference for Trump',' Gabbard added. The Daily Beast has reached out to Clinton's office for a response. But former president Barack Obama has strongly rebuked the claims of a conspiracy more broadly, branding the allegations a weak attempt to distract from the Epstein files. Other critics have also accused Gabbard of conflating Russian 'hacking' with Russian 'influence' campaigns, in a bid to get in Trump's good graces. 'Out of respect for the office of the presidency our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one,' Obama said in a rare statement issued through his office on Tuesday. 'The bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction. Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. 'These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio,' they added. Trump, who has claimed for years that the investigation into Russian interference was a 'hoax', has embraced the documents Gabbard put out, and even posted a social media video of Obama in a jumpsuit. Asked on Wednesday if the president believes Obama should be jailed, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt replied: 'The president believes that this matter needs to be thoroughly investigated, and anyone convicted of crimes should be held accountable in this country.' Trump himself was convicted of crimes last year, after a unanimous jury found him guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to silence a sex scandal with a porn star ahead of the 2016 election. However, the president was able to avoid punishment after the judge gave him an 'unconditional discharge', a sentence that affirms that he is a convicted felon, but one where he will face no further penalties, fines, or any time in jail. The decision came after the conservative-dominated Supreme Court ruled that presidents should have substantial immunity for acts committed in office. This ruling could now be used by Obama, should the administration seek to prosecute him. Asked about this on Wednesday, Leavitt said the president wanted the documents released in the interest of 'transparency' and 'he wants those who perpetuated these lies and this scandal to be held accountable.' 'As for what accountability looks like,' she said, 'it's in the Department of Justice's hands and we trust them to be successful.'
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Faraday Future Hosts Successful Capitol Hill Club Reception Showcasing Commitment to American Manufacturing and Innovation
WASHINGTON, July 24, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc. (NASDAQ: FFAI) ("Faraday Future", "FF" or the "Company"), a California-based global shared intelligent electric mobility ecosystem company, held a well-attended and impactful reception at the Capitol Hill Club this week, drawing over a dozen members of Congress and key stakeholders from across the policy and business landscape. The event served as a platform to highlight Faraday Future's ongoing efforts to bring advanced electric vehicle innovation and manufacturing jobs back to American soil. "We at Faraday Future have expressed our desire to play a role in the great American comeback we are seeing under this Administration, particularly as it relates to the automotive industry, which has been the bedrock of American industry for ages," said John Schilling, Global Director of Communications and Public Relations at Faraday Future. The event featured both FF's cutting-edge FF 91 2.0 electric supercar as well as its recently unveiled FX Super One MPV model. Attendees got a firsthand look at both products and experienced the technology, craftsmanship, and vision driving FF's expansion strategy. FF leadership, including FX CEO Max Ma, also met with staff at the White House earlier this week, which included an open dialogue on a number of policy topics such as tariffs, U.S. manufacturing and innovation. FF looks forward to continuing to work closely with the White House in the near future to promote the long-term prosperity of America's high-end manufacturing sector, centered around the automotive industry and its broader ecosystem. "We were extremely honored by the attendance of numerous members of Congress who were interested in both our vehicles, because who wouldn't be, but more importantly, our story about building and employing American," continued Schilling. "We're committed to expanding production here at home and look forward to working with Congress and the Trump Administration to help make that vision a reality." Faraday Future's leadership emphasized that the company is aligning with the current Administration's vision to reindustrialize America and revitalize core manufacturing sectors. With plans to increase domestic production and invest in U.S. jobs, Faraday is proud to be a part of a new chapter in American innovation. ABOUT FARADAY FUTURE Faraday Future is a California-based global shared intelligent electric mobility ecosystem company. Founded in 2014, the Company's mission is to disrupt the automotive industry by creating a user-centric, technology-first, and smart driving experience. Faraday Future's flagship model, the FF 91, exemplifies its vision for luxury, innovation, and performance. The FX strategy aims to introduce mass production models equipped with state-of-the-art luxury technology similar to the FF 91, targeting a broader market with middle-to-low price range offerings. FF is committed to redefining mobility through AI innovation. Join us in shaping the future of intelligent transportation. For more information, please visit FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release includes "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words "plan to," "can," "will," "should," "future," "potential," and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the Company's control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include, among others: the Company's ability to secure necessary agreements to license or produce FX vehicles in the U.S., the Middle East, or elsewhere, none of which have been secured; the Company's ability to homologate FX vehicles for sale in the U.S., the Middle East, or elsewhere; the Company's ability to secure the necessary funding to execute on its AI, EREV and Faraday X (FX) strategies, each of which will be substantial; the Company's ability to secure necessary permits at its Hanford, CA production facility; the Company's ability to secure regulatory approvals for the proposed Super One front grill; the potential impact of tariff policy; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern and improve its liquidity and financial position; the Company's ability to pay its outstanding obligations; the Company's ability to remediate its material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting and the risks related to the restatement of previously issued consolidated financial statements; the Company's limited operating history and the significant barriers to growth it faces; the Company's history of losses and expectation of continued losses; the success of the Company's payroll expense reduction plan; the Company's ability to execute on its plans to develop and market its vehicles and the timing of these development programs; the Company's estimates of the size of the markets for its vehicles and cost to bring those vehicles to market; the rate and degree of market acceptance of the Company's vehicles; the Company's ability to cover future warranty claims; the success of other competing manufacturers; the performance and security of the Company's vehicles; current and potential litigation involving the Company; the Company's ability to receive funds from, satisfy the conditions precedent of and close on the various financings described elsewhere by the Company; the result of future financing efforts, the failure of any of which could result in the Company seeking protection under the Bankruptcy Code; the Company's indebtedness; the Company's ability to cover future warranty claims; the Company's ability to use its "at-the-market" program; insurance coverage; general economic and market conditions impacting demand for the Company's products; potential negative impacts of a reverse stock split; potential cost, headcount and salary reduction actions may not be sufficient or may not achieve their expected results; circumstances outside of the Company's control, such as natural disasters, climate change, health epidemics and pandemics, terrorist attacks, and civil unrest; risks related to the Company's operations in China; the success of the Company's remedial measures taken in response to the Special Committee findings; the Company's dependence on its suppliers and contract manufacturer; the Company's ability to develop and protect its technologies; the Company's ability to protect against cybersecurity risks; and the ability of the Company to attract and retain employees, any adverse developments in existing legal proceedings or the initiation of new legal proceedings, and volatility of the Company's stock price. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 31, 2025, and other documents filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC. View source version on Contacts Investors (English): ir@ Investors (Chinese): cn-ir@ Media:
