Epstein files debacle spurs new interest in contents of promised RFK, MLK assassination files

The planned release of the MLK and RFK assassination files has garnered renewed interest amid fallout from the widely panned release of Epstein files by the Department of Justice on Thursday evening. 

In accordance with President Donald Trump‘s executive order in January to declassify files on the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the attorney general were expected to release their proposed plan for the declassification of the JFK files on Feb. 7. 

Likewise, in line with the order, the plan to release the RFK and MLK files is expected on March 9. 

EPSTEIN FILES: AG PAM BONDI SENDS LETTER TO KASH PATEL ACCUSING FBI OF WITHHOLDING DOCS

The RFK and MLK files’ release plan deadline comes just weeks after the Department of Justice revealed a batch of Jeffrey Epstein files Thursday, with many of the documents already having been released during the federal criminal trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former lover and convicted accomplice. The lack of new material provoked criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files – and questions about what the RFK and MLK documents could hold. 

Gerald Posner, author of “Case Closed,” told Fox News Digital he expects “there will be news in there, but it’s not going to be something that turns upside down our understanding of what really happened with those cases.”

After committing earlier this week to release Epstein-related documents sometime Thursday afternoon, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi sent FBI Director Kash Patel a fiery letter accusing federal investigators in New York of withholding thousands of pages of Epstein documents. 

“I repeatedly questioned whether this was the full set of documents responsive to my request and was repeatedly assured by the FBI that we had received the full set of documents,” Bondi wrote. “Late yesterday, I learned from a source that the FBI Field Office in New York was in possession of thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein.”

JEFFREY EPSTEIN CONTACT LIST: AG PAM BONDI RELEASES HIGHLY ANTICIPATED DOJ DOCUMENTS

Bondi said she had previously requested the full Epstein file prior to Patel’s confirmation to head the FBI last week, and had received approximately 200 pages of files – fewer than the number of pages released last year as part of a civil lawsuit connected to Maxwell. 

“People’s expectations sort of got too high, based upon the executive order that the president signed,” Posner said on the Epstein file release. 

Bondi said the FBI had never disclosed that those files existed and gave the agency a Friday-morning deadline for the documents to be turned over. 

“By 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, February 28, the FBI will deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office, including all records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained,” Bondi wrote. “There will be no withholdings or limitations to my or your access.”

Patel posted on X on Thursday evening, saying, “The FBI is entering a new era – one that will be defined by integrity, accountability, and the unwavering pursuit of justice.”

DEADLINE LOOMS FOR RELEASE OF JFK ASSASSINATION FILES

Patel stated, “There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents, and no stone left unturned – and anyone from the prior or current Bureau who undermines this will be swiftly pursued. If there are gaps, we will find them. If records have been hidden, we will uncover them.”

The FBI director also stated that the agency would be bringing “everything we find” to the DOJ to share the information with the American public, “as it should be.” 

Trump’s declassification executive order came after he promised to declassify the documents upon entering his second term while on the campaign trail, saying at the time, “When I return to the White House, I will declassify and unseal all JFK assassination-related documents. It’s been 60 years, time for the American people to know the truth.”

Trump had initially promised to release the last batch of documents during his first term, but such efforts ultimately dissipated. Trump then blocked the release of hundreds of records on the assassination, following several CIA and FBI appeals.

Fox News’ David Spunt and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.