NARA advisor talks RFK Files, Senate Republicans defend Hegseth, latest from Kennedy Center, and more!

NARA’s new advisor talks the RFK Files; Heard on the Hill; Cotton praises Hegeth’s job; and more!

April 23, 2025

Let’s dive in.

1. INTERVIEW: National Archivist’s top advisor dives into RFK Files: Sirhan Sirhan still theorized as lone assassin, but people should make up their own minds

2. Heard on the Hill

3. EXCLUSIVE: Senate Republicans laud Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon leadership: He’s been “remarkably effective”

4. SCOOP: Kennedy Center under President Trump and Ric Grenell posts record turnout

5. SCOOP: Why John Rich is working with Kristi Noem to to educate parents and teens about how they can “protect themselves from the monsters that intend to hurt them”

6. OPINIONATED: Trump One Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Strategy and Communications Cliff Simms on StableCoins and National Catholic Leadership Network CEO James Kimmey on the next Pope.

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INTERVIEW: National Archivist’s top advisor dives into RFK Files: Sirhan Sirhan still theorized as lone assassin, but people should make up their own minds

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• Fifty-seven years after his death, the files surrounding then-Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Sr.’s assassination are rolling out for release.

• Jim Byron, the new Senior Advisor to the Acting Archivist spoke with the Washington Reporter in his office, located just 100 steps from the Declaration of Independence, about the newly-declassified files, and what they showed.

• “In these 10,000 documents, there’s no smoking gun,” Byron said. Many of these documents, he noted, had never been seen before by the public.

• The new documents, released via NARA, include the entire FBI field office of San Diego’s files, along with diplomatic cables from countries offering their condolences and assistance in the investigation, along with Sirhan’s diary.

In an infamous moment of American history, then-Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Sr., was assassinated while he was running for President of the United States.

Fifty-seven years later, in 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declassifying the files related to this assassination, and Jim Byron, the new Senior Advisor to the Acting Archivist, has a front-row seat to this from his perch at National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

Byron spoke with the Washington Reporter in his office, located just 100 steps from the Declaration of Independence, about the newly-declassified files, and what they showed.

Byron wants Americans to visit archives.gov/rfk and read the 10,000 files that Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard declassified last week. When asked about how Americans should approach the documents, Byron said that the conventional wisdom — that Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian furious about RFK’s support for Israel, acted alone and murdered RFK — holds up, for now.

“In these 10,000 documents, there’s no smoking gun,” Byron said. Many of these documents, he noted, had never been seen before by the public.

“This is mostly brand new stuff,” Byron continued. This was “the biggest release of RFK assassination-related files ever released at once,” Byron added.

The new documents, released via NARA, include the entire FBI field office of San Diego’s files, along with diplomatic cables from countries offering their condolences and assistance in the investigation, along with Sirhan’s diary. Jordan, for example, reached out to the FBI to let the agency know that it would help with research into Sirhan, a Jordanian-Palestinian.

“[Sirhan’s] diary certainly indicated prior intent for sure,” Byron said. “The FBI’s conclusion was he was the guy.”

For years, Byron has studied the 1960s and 1970s as the head of the Richard Nixon Foundation. Until his start at NARA, he had primarily focused on Kennedy as a political icon and had not delved too deeply into the assassination itself. But, Byron is an historian and said the findings up to this point largely pointed to one theory.

“Based on these 10,000 documents, and what has been released, there’s not a lot of evidence in these documents that it was anyone other than Sirhan Sirhan,” he said.

But, Byron repeatedly cautioned that readers should make up their own minds and weigh any new evidence in these files.

HEARD ON THE HILL

• DC’S NEXT TOP LOBBYIST: Don’t forget to nominate your friends, loved ones, respected coworkers, or that very influential lobbyist you heard of for theWashington Reporter’s list of the most influential advocates in our nation’s capital!

• NOTHING CRYPTIC ABOUT THIS: Crypto legislation backed by the industry is expected to move on Capitol Hill. The White House is looking for ways to move more crypto-related legislation. The Washington Reporter will speak to Bo Hines, executive director for President Trump’s crypto office about this on Thursday.

• DONALD OF ARABIA: President Trump is expected to visit the Middle East next month, specifically the Gulf countries. Sources tell the Reporter the discussions will range from peace talks to economic development.

• TIME’S ARROW: TikTok push ramps up. Adam Foroughi, CEO of AppLovin, is making the rounds with the Trump administration and on Capitol Hill to make his case.

• SHADY T&C: Capitol Hill Republicans have become increasingly skeptical ofSen. Dick Durbin’s (D., Ill.) Credit Card Competition Act legislation. Sources tell the Reporter that the bill is viewed as a handout to woke retailers and would harm credit access for the middle class.

• ONWARDS AND UPWARDS: Wendell Husebo, a former reporter for Breitbart, has joined Rep. Elise Stefanik’s office. He will serve in the communications department.

• TRADE NEGOTIATIONS PRAISE: Rep. Andy Barr (R., Ky.) tells the Reporter’s Matthew Foldi that President Trump’s trade policies are great for Kentucky. Rep. Brandon Gill (R., Texas) also praised the president for “putting America first and delivering exactly what he promised voters.”

EXCLUSIVE: Senate Republicans laud Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon leadership: He’s been “remarkably effective”

by the Washington Reporter and Matthew Foldi

A pair of veteran Senate Republicans praised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leadership at the helm of the Pentagon.

Hegseth has faced an onslaught from the liberal media and Pentagon leakers since his confirmation hearings to lead the U.S. Armed Forces under President Donald Trump.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) told the Washington Reporter that Hegseth has been instrumental in ensuring the enactment of the Trump administration’s agenda.

“Secretary Hegseth has been remarkably effective in fulfilling President Trump’s agenda — and that’s why he’s under attack by leakers and the liberal press,” Cotton said.

“We need his leadership at the Pentagon to keep America safe,” he added.

Sen. Jim Banks (R., Ind.) joined Cotton in his praise of President Trump’s top warfighter. Banks told the Reporter that, under President Trump’s and Hegseth’s leadership, we are seeing a reinvigoration of our Armed Forces recruitment.

“Under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s leadership we’ve seen the largest military recruitment surge in decades,” Banks said. “Our country is safer and more prepared than it ever was under Joe Biden.”

“I’m proud to stand with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth,” Banks added.

Democrats and the liberal media have been hounding after Hegseth since the “SignalGate” controversy that saw several Biden-era intelligence officials with egg on their faces.

It was revealed by the Reporter that President Joe Biden’s Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Avril Haines, used the encrypted messaging app Signal “all the time and on her personal phone,” according to multiple career employees.

Biden’s DNI using Signal on her personal phone is only the tip of the iceberg. High-level CIA staffers who worked for Biden regularly shared sensitive but unclassified information using Signal with people who did not work in the administration, as the Reporter previously covered.

SCOOP: Kennedy Center under President Trump and Ric Grenell posts record turnout

by Matthew Foldi

THE LOWDOWN:

• New Kennedy Center numbers exclusively obtained by the Washington Reporter illustrate the impact President Trump and Ric Grenell are having on the performing arts center.

• The Kennedy Center’s regularly scheduled programming, such as performances from Seán Heely and Akram Khan, saw hundreds of visitors flock to the shows.

• Both artists underscore what Grenell told the Reporter in an interview: his desire to make sure the Kennedy Center is open to everyone.

• The iconic arts center will play a critical role in America’s 250th birthday celebrations being spearheaded by President Trump.

Under President Donald Trump and Kennedy Center president Ric Grenell, the nation’s premiere performing arts center continues to post record attendance numbers.

The Washington Reporter exclusively obtained the Kennedy Center’s latest figures and the numbers illustrate a marquis performance of the highest accolades.

The iconic arts center will play a critical role in America’s 250th birthday celebrations being spearheaded by President Trump. However, the Kennedy Center’s regularly scheduled programming, such as performances from Seán Heely and Akram Khan, saw hundreds of visitors flock to the shows.

Heely’s attendance more than tripled the expected capacity for similar shows, while Khan saw the Kennedy Center filled almost to the brim, hitting approximately 80 percent capacity, according to the figures.

Heely’s show saw over 625 attendees at the Millennium Stage — a stage normally housing 200 seats.

“People were standing behind the velvet rope line and lining the stairs around the stage,” a source told the Reporter. “Ushers were using every available space for the Millennium Stage to seat the overflow of patrons for this show.”

Heely, a local artist to the DC area, performs Scottish music and sings in Scottish Gaelic. About 70 percent of the audience told Heely that they were new to him and the Kennedy Center. Khan, meanwhile, sold almost 1,000 tickets.

SCOOP: Why John Rich is working with Kristi Noem to to educate parents and teens about how they can “protect themselves from the monsters that intend to hurt them”

by Matthew Foldi

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem is teaming up with John Rich, the country music superstar, to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The pair are working together on DHS’s Know2Protect project. Noem told the Washington Reporter the new project fits squarely within her department’s mission “to protect the American people,” including “protecting our children.”

“The Internet has completely changed how we connect, but it has also opened new doors for predators who want to ham our kids,” Noem told the Reporter. “That's why we launched Know2Protect."

"There were over 36 Million tips called in last year from parents reporting their children had been targeted by online predators,” Rich noted to the Reporter. “I’ve joined with the Department of Homeland Security to host a livestream seminar…to educate parents and teens as to how they can protect themselves from the monsters that intend to hurt them.”

The Know2Protect recently hit its first anniversary. In commemoration of the anniversary, DHS and Rich are jointly hosting a Space on X, formerly Twitter, where Rich will be joined by Special Agent Dennis Fetting, from DHS’s Homeland Security Investigations.

OPINIONATED

Op-Ed: Cliff Sims: Why Stablecoins are the answer to outmaneuvering China and anchoring dollar dominance

by Cliff Sims

President Donald Trump’s trade negotiations could unify much of the free world into an informal bloc that isolates China and reverses their decades of predatory economic practices. His challenge will be disrupting the parts of the economic system that disadvantage American workers and undermine national security, while preserving the parts that long ensured America’s economic dominance.

While tariffs, investment restrictions and technology controls offer opportunities to produce the necessary disruptions, spurring the proliferation of stablecoins could ensure stability by preserving the U.S. dollar’s unquestioned status as the world’s reserve currency.

To understand this dynamic, it’s important to first separate the signal from the noise.

The media has breathlessly covered the volatility in U.S. equities markets in recent weeks, but as the saying goes, the stock market is not the economy.

In the real economy, 228,000 jobs were added in March, far exceeding economists' projections. Significant growth in construction, transportation and warehousing employment represents an early signal that President Trump is delivering on his promise to bring jobs back home. And inflation has dropped to a six-month low.

Op-Ed: James Kimmey: A Pope from the Americas — and what comes next

by James Kimmey

When Pope Francis was elected in 2013, I remember exactly where I was. As a Hispanic American, I felt an instant surge of pride. For the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, a man from the Americas — born in Argentina to Italian immigrants — had ascended to the Chair of Saint Peter. It wasn’t just history being made; it felt personal. For millions of us across the Western Hemisphere, it was as if the Church was reaching back across oceans and generations to say: You matter. Your story matters. Your faith matters.

Over the past decade, Pope Francis has inspired admiration and stirred controversy. His pastoral tone — more merciful than doctrinal, more relational than rigid — was refreshing for some, unsettling for others. He spoke often of the peripheries, of the poor, of a “Church that goes forth.” Yet, at times, many faithful Catholics felt like they had become the new periphery — those who clung to traditional liturgies, moral clarity, and the unchanging truths of Church teaching.

Still, the passing of a pope is a moment not just of mourning, but of reflection.

I count myself among the many who, after years of wandering, searching, and questioning, found my way back to the Church during Pope Francis’ papacy. Mine wasn’t a political conversion. It was spiritual. It came through quiet moments of prayer, through witnessing the radical beauty of the sacraments, and through the faithfulness of Catholic friends who challenged me not to conform the Church to the world — but to conform my life to Christ.

And I’m not alone.

Across the country —and especially among younger generations — there has been a quiet but profound resurgence of faith. Latin Mass parishes are growing. RCIA classes are filling. In an age of confusion and contradiction, Catholicism is offering something so many souls are starving for: clarity, beauty, and truth.

Which brings us to the moment we are in.

The conclave that follows the death of a pope is not just a sacred tradition — it is a moment charged with eternal consequence. The next pontiff must be one who understands not only the needs of the Church today, but the challenges of tomorrow. A shepherd who speaks with the authority of the Apostles, but who listens with the humility of Christ.

The Church does not need a celebrity. It does not need a virtue signaler. It does not need a pope who seeks applause from the world while alienating the faithful within. What it needs — what we need — is a pontiff who will guide, not divide. A Vicar of Christ who embraces both the traditional Catholic and the prodigal son. A man unafraid to preach the fullness of the Gospel, in season and out of season.