Sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers, was exposed in the newly unredacted John F. Kennedy assassination documents released this week, causing concern among those affected.
Joseph diGenova, a former campaign lawyer for President Donald Trump, was one of the individuals whose information was disclosed.
He announced plans to sue the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for violating privacy laws, citing worries about identity theft.
“It never should have happened,” diGenova said in a phone interview on Thursday. “This isn’t about rushing the process — the people reviewing these documents failed to do their job.”
DiGenova’s personal information appeared in documents related to his work for a U.S. Senate committee that investigated government abuses, including surveillance of U.S. citizens, in the 1970s.
The White House said Thursday that a plan is in place to support those affected, including credit monitoring provided by the National Archives until new Social Security numbers are issued.
Officials also confirmed they are still reviewing the records to identify all the Social Security numbers that were released.
“President Trump fulfilled his promise of maximum transparency by releasing the JFK assassination files,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
“At the request of the White House, the National Archives and the Social Security Administration quickly developed a plan to help those affected.”
The National Archives also issued a statement, acknowledging that the release of unredacted records exposed the personal information of some living individuals.
They assured that NARA and the Social Security Administration are working together to prevent any misuse of the information.
NARA stated that they will contact those affected but also encouraged individuals to reach out directly.
However, neither the White House nor NARA explained why the decision was made to release the personal information publicly.
Trump ordered the release of the remaining classified JFK assassination files shortly after taking office in January.
On Tuesday evening, around 2,200 files totaling over 63,000 pages were posted on the National Archives’ website.
These newly released documents added to the more than 6 million pages of assassination-related records, most of which had already been made public.
The released documents reveal more details about Cold War-era U.S. operations but have not provided new evidence to support conspiracy theories about Kennedy’s assassination.
One document included Social Security numbers of more than two dozen people who sought security clearances in the 1990s to access JFK-related files for the Assassination Records Review Board.
Gerald Posner, author of Case Closed, which concludes that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, said the release seemed rushed, echoing the views of other researchers.
“People might find it odd to call it rushed after 62 years, but it’s a lot of files to go through,” Posner said Thursday. “In the past, the Archives provided a search guide to help researchers find specific names or events. This time, that wasn’t available.”
James Angleton, the CIA’s counterintelligence chief from 1954 to 1974, was mentioned in several of the newly released documents.
The National Archives began screening the records on Wednesday to identify all the Social Security numbers disclosed.
They plan to share the information with the Social Security Administration, which will contact affected individuals and issue new numbers if needed.
Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas while riding in a motorcade through downtown. Shots were fired from the Texas School Book Depository building, where 24-year-old former Marine Lee Harvey Oswald had positioned himself on the sixth floor.
Oswald was arrested but was fatally shot two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby during a jail transfer broadcast live on television.
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