Hearing Wrap Up: Task Force Examines Newly Declassified JFK Files, Vows More Transparency for the American People

WASHINGTON—Today, the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, chaired by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), held a hearing on the JFK files. At the hearing, members underscored the significance of newly declassified documents related to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and criticized past government efforts to withhold this information from the public. Members and witnesses discussed new information contained in the JFK files released by the Trump Administration and identified tranches of documents that still require declassification. Members concluded that more transparency about the JFK files will help restore trust in American institutions and help prevent such an event from happening again.

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. federal government has a history of not being forthcoming with the American people about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which has sowed distrust in American institutions.

• Rep. Anna Paulina Luna stated in her opening statement, “There are sincere concerns and discrepancies regarding the Warren Commission pushing forward a narrative without all the facts and according to testimony of various witness, omitting evidence. I would also further argue that the handling of this investigation has largely contributed to the deep distrust the American people have with the federal government and various intelligence agencies.”

• James DiEugenio, a researcher and author testified, “Why are we here? Why are we dealing with this subject that occurred over 60 years ago? Well, the JFK case is one that simply will not go away, no matter how much the MSM tries to minimize it or make it disappear. Sixty-five percent of the public does not buy the Warren Commission’s conclusion that Oswald was a lone assassin.”

• Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) stated, “According to Pew Research, trust in federal government has plummeted from 74% in 1958 to 22% in 2025. That’s a trajectory that is utterly unsustainable, and in the long term, incompatible with Democratic self-governance. Unfortunately, a lot of that decline in trust is justified. The JFK assassination happened over 60 years ago and we still don’t have all of the facts about what happened that day.”

President Trump and his administration are committed to maximum transparency and have declassified 80,000 pages of records related to President Kennedy’s assassination.

• Rep. Anna Paulina Luna stated in her opening statement, “With the recent efforts made to declassify over 80,000 pages of classified documents, fighting against the request for redactions—combined with prior releases under the previous administration—we have an unprecedented opportunity to peel back the layers of that dark day and lay bare the facts for all to see and for the first time in many years we are seeing complete cooperation between the U.S. government enterprise.”

• Jefferson Morley, an independent journalist, detailed in his opening statement, “The new fact pattern leads to a new conclusion. We know now what [the U.S. intelligence community] knew about Oswald and when they knew it.”

More transparency about federal secrets, like the JFK files, is needed. The Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets will continue to work with the Trump Administration to restore trust through transparency.

• Rep. Anna Paulina Luna stated, “What we uncover may unsettle us, but it will also empower us—to learn from the past, to protect our future, and to ensure that transparency triumphs over secrecy. Let us proceed with the seriousness this moment demands, for the sake of justice, for the memory of President Kennedy, and for the soul of our republic.”

• Jefferson Morley, an independent journalist, called for the release of the personnel file of a former top CIA officer, James Angleton, and answers as to why three CIA officers appear to have lied to JFK investigators during past investigations. During questioning from Rep. Brandon Gill, he praised current efforts to release information to the American people: “We have a new attitude on the part of the government. We have President Trump’s executive order, which strengthens the existing mandates of the JFK Records Act. So I think if the Task Force and the public and the Congress applied pressure and demand this material, we can get it and we can reach a decisive clarification about the causes of President Kennedy’s assassination.”

• Oliver Stone, an American filmmaker, noted, “There are a lot of inconsistencies in what we’ve seen and done, the tracking of the bullet, the concept of a magic bullet, which deserves a lot of your reexamination.”

Member Highlights:

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), chairwoman of the Task Force, questioned Jefferson Morley about declassified information revealing that U.S. intelligence officials were monitoring Lee Harvey Oswald for four years and as recently as a week before President Kennedy’s assassination.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) detailed how the U.S. intelligence community has a pattern of not being truthful with the American people and how it impacts trust in our institutions. She praised President Trump for his administration’s commitment to transparency.

Rep. Mace: “The American people deserve transparency, not just on JFK files, MLK, Epstein list, all the things […] I am grateful to President Trump for keeping good on his promise to transparency […] Sunshine, literally, is the best medicine. They’ve just seen over the last few years, regardless of their politics, we saw 51 intelligence leaders sign a letter saying the Hunter Biden laptop was fake. Turns out that was a cover up. We saw presidential candidate Donald Trump spied on by the political opposition. We saw Biden’s health decline. The previous administration lied to the American people about the President’s health. They called him falling down, ‘cheap fakes.’ We saw the origins of COVID covered up by our government. […] And so we talk about this the deep state. Not only was it around during JFK assassination, but here today, it is right before our eyes, and they are doing this in real time.”

Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) questioned Mr. Morley about the most significant information released under President Trump’s executive order to declassify JFK files.

Rep. Crane: “What is the most interesting information you found in this newest release of documents on the assassination of President Kennedy?”

Mr. Morley: “The nine memos about James Angleton that were fully declassified on March 18 are the most important collection that I’ve seen so far. There is a lot of information that has come out. Jim mentioned that the Arthur Schlesinger memo that really sets the stage for the alienation between the Kennedy White House and the CIA that lasted for the rest of Kennedy’s presidency. So I would say that the Angleton memos and the Schlesinger memo are the most important things I’ve seen so far.”

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) noted how the lack of transparency has resulted in distrust in American institutions and questioned whether we can get the full facts about President Kennedy’s assassination. 

Rep. Gill: “According to Pew Research, trust in federal government has plummeted from 74% in 1958 to 22% in 2025. That’s a trajectory that is utterly unsustainable, and in the long term, incompatible with Democratic self-governance. Unfortunately, a lot of that decline in trust is justified. The JFK assassination happened over 60 years ago and we still don’t have all of the facts about what happened that day.”

[…]

Mr. Morley: “We have a new attitude on the part of the government. We have President Trump’s executive order, which strengthens the existing mandates of the JFK Records Act. So I think if the Task Force and the public and the Congress applied pressure and demand this material, we can get it and we can reach a decisive clarification about the causes of President Kennedy’s assassination.”

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