The National Security Division of the Justice Department worked tirelessly overnight to prepare for the release of JFK assassination files, following President Donald Trump's announcement on Monday. While visiting the Kennedy Center, Trump declared that the government would unveil all related documents on Tuesday afternoon.
Shortly after Trump's announcement, the Justice Department's office responsible for foreign surveillance and intelligence operations redirected its efforts to focus on this task, according to sources. A senior official from the DOJ's Office of Intelligence sent an email late Monday afternoon indicating that, despite an initial review by the FBI, all attorneys in the operations section needed to conduct a second review due to the urgency of the project.
Ultimately, attorneys from other parts of the National Security Division were also called in to assist. These attorneys worked through the night, reviewing hundreds of pages of documents, with only those involved in immediate legal actions exempt from the task.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not provide an immediate comment. Trump emphasized the volume of documents, stating there would be no redactions, as he had instructed against it.
In January, Trump signed an executive order mandating the complete release of records related to President John F. Kennedy's assassination, aiming to conclude the long wait for these files. By June 2023, 99% of the records from the Warren Commission's investigation had been released, following initial releases between 1994 and 1998.