Jack Schlossberg, grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, openly criticized CNN’s coverage of the newly released assassination documents in a social media post on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. The 32-year-old expressed his dissatisfaction with the network’s focus on the 80,000 documents concerning JFK’s 1963 assassination that the Trump administration recently made public.
In a video posted on X, Schlossberg appeared visibly disturbed as he recorded himself with CNN airing on a television in the background. He addressed CNN anchors by name, questioning their editorial choices.
“You’re better than this. This is so [expletive] stupid. There’s so much actual news going on. Why are you covering this,” Schlossberg said in the video. “At least report that something happened. I love you, Harry Enten, you’re really smart. Why are you guys covering this? I love you, Erin Burnett, you’re really smart, why are you covering this?”
Schlossberg, son of former U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and a political correspondent for Vogue, followed up his initial post with several provocative comments. In one, he stated in all capital letters, “WHAT THE JFK FILES SAY ABOUT ME IS NOT TRUE,” adding, “I’M STRAIGHT.”
The documents, comprising approximately 63,400 pages, were made available on the National Archives website following an executive order by President Donald Trump. This release is part of a broader initiative to declassify records related to the assassinations of President Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Schlossberg claimed that the Trump administration did not notify the Kennedy family before the documents were released. “No — THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DID NOT GIVE ANYONE IN PRESIDENT KENNEDY’S FAMILY ‘A HEADS UP’ ABOUT THE RELEASE,” he wrote on X. “A total surprise, and not a shocker!! But @RobertKennedyJr definitely knew.”
Schlossberg’s relationship with his cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is currently Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration, is strained. Schlossberg has previously criticized RFK Jr. for promoting conspiracy theories about JFK’s assassination and urged podcast host Joe Rogan to question his cousin on these claims.
Schlossberg also criticized Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) when the senator commented on the file release. Responding to Lee, Schlossberg wrote: “You really care about JFK’s legacy? You’re dismantling it. Go ask Bobby for a retweet.”
This is not Schlossberg’s first objection to the declassification efforts. Last month, when the Trump administration announced its plans to release the files, he wrote on X that the declassification uses his late grandfather as a political prop when he cannot defend himself.
The newly released documents are part of the National Archives’ collection of over six million pages of records related to the Kennedy assassination. According to the National Archives, about 2,200 files were included in this latest release. The majority of the collection had been accessible to the public previously.
Experts who have started examining the files note that while they offer additional insights into U.S. government activities during the Cold War era, they do not contain any “smoking gun” revelations that would significantly alter the existing narrative about Lee Harvey Oswald’s role as the lone gunman in Kennedy’s assassination.
“There’s nothing heroic about it,” Schlossberg stated about the declassification efforts, expressing his belief that using his grandfather’s assassination for political purposes was inappropriate.
The release of these records fulfills a requirement established by the 1992 President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act, mandating that all related documents be released after 25 years, with exceptions for national security concerns. Previous administrations had certified that continued withholding was necessary, but President Trump determined that keeping the records classified was “no longer in the public interest and is long overdue.”
While some files remain under seal due to court orders or tax return privacy laws, the National Archives has partnered with federal agencies to make these records available online and at the National Archives facility in College Park, Maryland. The release represents a significant step in the ongoing effort to provide transparency regarding one of the most traumatic events in American history.
