Written by Anthony Cash

What’s happening: Paul Landis, a secret service agent present who witnessed former President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, publicly contradicted the “lone gunman theory” in a new book after over 60 years of silence.

• The government narrative was that the bullet that hit Kennedy curved and also hit former Texas Gov. John Connally Jr. Based on this “magic” bullet, the Warren Commission in Congress concluded there was only one shooter.
• But Landis claims he found the bullet that killed Kennedy lodged inside the President’s limousine and that it never hit Connally.

Why it matters: Landis’s claims add to the suspicion that the U.S. government covered up a larger conspiracy to kill President Kennedy.

• The evidence: A report declassified in 2014 shows that the CIA director at the time hid information about the assassination from the Warren Commission, possibly under former President Lyndon Johnson’s orders. Additionally, forensic scientists have uncovered evidence of multiple bullets, saying that a second shooter was “likely.”

Zoom out: Polling has repeatedly shown that most Americans don’t buy into the official story of JFK’s assassination, and 70 percent now want President Joe Biden to release classified records on it. Despite these polls and campaign promises, no president since the assassination has released these records.

• Between the lines: Majority distrust in the U.S. government has existed for a long time. Seventy percent of Americans distrust it today. The new information only firms their doubts, especially regarding intelligence agencies such as the CIA and FBI.