The Biden administration's decision to postpone the release of secret documents related to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy continued a stance taken by former President Donald Trump.
Politico reported Sunday night that Biden's move upset members of the Kennedy family.
"It's an outrage. It's an outrage against American democracy. We’re not supposed to have secret governments within the government," Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Politico. "How the hell is it 58 years later, and what in the world could justify not releasing these documents?"
Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., cousin to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., told Politico that "for the good of the country, everything has to be put out there so there’s greater understanding of our history."
The final collection of secret documents concerning the assassination had been scheduled to be made public Tuesday; however, the White House announced late Friday night that it would delay the declassification until at least Dec. 15 because the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays at the agencies responsible for organizing the records.
The administration added it might delay the release longer if it's in the country's best interest to keep them confidential.
Then-President Donald Trump postponed the documents' scheduled release in 2017.
The White House's announcement on Friday surprised some people who remember that Biden served in the Senate with late-Sen. Ted Kennedy, JFK's brother, and when Congress passed the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 aimed to collect and release all government files that might have bearing on the assassination.
Only the most sensitive classified documents remain classified after most records were released between 1994 and '98.
Politico reported that experts on the assassination say the documents could have information on whether a CIA operative mysteriously traveled from Rome to Dallas before the assassination, and on the CIA's role in plots to kill Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
"Temporary continued postponement is necessary to protect against identifiable harm to the military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or the conduct of foreign relations that is of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in immediate disclosure," Biden said in the Friday memo.
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