Reacting To The JFK Files & Conspiracy Theories

Chuck Todd takes a deep dive into the JFK assassination conspiracy and the latest document release with Jeff Morley, founder of JFK Facts.

He opens the episode by exploring how the government’s lack of transparency and honesty has fueled public distrust—and why that environment often breeds conspiratorial thinking.

Chuck and Jeff then examine the government's decades-long effort to keep a tight lid on records related to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and how skepticism from high-ranking officials at the time continues to cast doubt on the CIA’s official account.

They break down the most recent document releases, discuss why both Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden delayed their full release, and analyze what the timing and redactions might suggest about what the government could still be hiding.

The conversation takes a closer look at Lee Harvey Oswald, his potential ties to the CIA, and why the agency has remained evasive about those connections.

Finally, they review the key findings from the newly released documents, assess whether any revelations have truly been groundbreaking, and preview what might come next in the ongoing evolution of this historic conspiracy theory.

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Timeline:

0:00 Introduction

02:00 What led to massive distrust of the U.S. government

04:00 Chuck’s big questions about the JFK assassination

8:40 How did Jeff Morley become JFKfacts?

10:10 Oliver Stone’s movie led to congress passing the JFK records act in 1992

11:40 Released CIA records were a reporting gold mine

14:55 Until the internet, the government kept a closed fist on the records

15:55 Oswald denied the killing, case was never adjudicated 

19:10 Chuck welcoming his son to the conspiracy 

21:50 The books that informed Jeff’s thinking on the assassination

24:45 Bobby Kennedy never believed the official story

25:55 How did Oswald not end up in jail after going to Russia?

28:45 Oswald was a known quantity to CIA officials before the assassination

29:55 Robert Kennedy asked the CIA director directly about CIA involvement

32:10 CIA’s fear was their awful operations being brought to light

33:40 Lyndon Johnson didn’t believe the Warren commission

34:50 Why did the CIA cover up its affiliation with Oswald?

35:40 What did Trump hold off on releasing?

37:30 Trump and Biden both punted on releasing files

40:40 Trump got back on board after RFK Jr. joined the campaign

43:10 The timeline for redactions shows what the government prioritized protecting

45:10 Hoover sanctioned FBI agents for their handling of Oswald

45:55 Why did the FBI + CIA remove Oswald from the watch list?

47:40 Oswald clearly was a CIA asset

48:40 Oswald did 5 things that should have landed him in trouble

49:55 Oswald goes public with the Fair Play for Cuba Committee

51:50 4 people confronting Oswald in the courtroom had CIA connections

54:20 Bay of Pigs is the root of Cuban-American support for Republicans

59:00 Did we learn anything from old Soviet files?

1:01:00 Soviets surveilled Oswald while he was in Minsk 

1:03:45 Tulsi Gabbard implied new files had been found

1:05:30 CIA hasn’t produced new records that aren’t at the national archives

1:06:00 What are we missing on Jack Ruby?

1:08:10 CIA motivations for cover up?

1:10:15 What if Oswald did it and was part of a conspiracy?

1:10:40 There’s no smoking gun proof Oswald did it?

1:11:10 Compelling evidence that shots came from in front of Kennedy

1:13:10 Investigators botched the chain of possession for evidence

1:17:25 Jeff’s experience testifying in front of congress

1:18:55 Trump’s motive for declassifying the records

1:21:40 Where to find Jeff’s work

1:23:10 The CIA was a rogue agency in the 50s 

1:24:55 Chuck’s closing thoughts

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