WH mum on Obama’s views on JFK death
The White House wouldn’t say on Monday whether President Obama shares Secretary of State John Kerry’s view that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone in the killing of President John F. Kennedy.
“I haven’t had a discussion with the president about President Kennedy’s assassination,” press secretary Jay Carney said when asked about Kerry’s comments.
He also told reporters he had not spoken to the president about declassifying files related to the investigation of the 35th president’s killing.
On Wednesday, the president and former President Clinton will mark the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s death by laying a wreath at his grave in Arlington National Cemetery.
{mosads}Kennedy died on Nov. 22, 1963, during a visit to Dallas. His death sparked numerous conspiracy theories, but the Warren Commission ruled in 1964 that Oswald acted alone.
In addition to the wreath laying, Obama will pay tribute to Kennedy during a dinner that night honoring the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Clinton will receive the award, which was initiated by Kennedy as the nation’s highest civilian honor.
During an interview with NBC News earlier this month, Kerry said he had “serious questions” about whether Oswald might have been influenced to take the president’s life during his time in Cuba and Russia.
“To this day, I have serious doubts that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone,” the secretary of state said. “I certainly have doubts that he was motivated by himself. I’m not sure if anybody was involved. I don’t go down that road with respect to the grassy knoll theory and all of that. But I have serious questions about whether they got to the bottom of Lee Harvey Oswald’s time and influence from Cuba and Russia.”
During an interview with “Meet the Press” last week, Kerry refused to comment further about his views, calling the discussion “inappropriate.”
“I just have a point of view. And I’m not going to get into that,” Kerry said. “It’s not something that I think needs to be commented on, and certainly not at this time.”
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