On Good Friday, a significant and contentious event unfolded as the Trump administration made public a trove of documents related to the assassination of former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy. The release, which includes more than 10,000 pages of files, handwritten notes from the convicted assassin Sirhan Sirhan, and unsettling autopsy images, has ignited a wave of criticism from those closest to the late senator.

Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy Sr., expressed her dismay through a heartfelt post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). She was only eight years old when her father was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, immediately following his victory in the California Democratic primary. In her post, Kerry reflected on the profound impact her father's death had on her childhood, stating, It was hard to be an eight-year-old girl who lost her father to a man with a gun. The emotional weight of this experience was compounded by the recent release of graphic images that portray her father in a way that starkly contrasts with her cherished memories of him.

Kerry characterized the release of these documents as relentless, callous cruelty, articulating her belief that the images do not honor the legacy of her father, but rather depict him in his most vulnerable moments. She expressed deep concern about how these portrayals might affect her family, stating, As of yesterday Good Friday it will be hard in a new and unimaginable way. Kerry also linked this release to a wider pattern of behavior during the Trump administration, referencing instances of deportation and the rollback of protections for marginalized groups, particularly transgender Americans.

The initiative to release these documents was spearheaded by Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, who defended the action by claiming it aligns with President Trumps commitment to transparency regarding historical events. Gabbard expressed gratitude to the Kennedy family for their support of this release, which further complicated the narrative, as Kerry Kennedy promptly clarified her stance: I did not support this. This statement underscored the division within the family regarding the handling of such sensitive historical information.

As the public digests the implications of this release, it raises broader questions about the ethics of transparency in government and the treatment of historical figures within the context of their families grieving processes. The decision to publish these files has not only reignited interest in the circumstances surrounding RFKs assassination but has also provoked intense emotional reactions from those whose lives were forever altered by that tragic event.

The Kennedy family, once a symbol of hope and change in American politics, now finds itself navigating the painful memories and historical scrutiny brought forth anew by this document release.