Sirhan shot Kennedy, brother of the previously assassinated John F. Kennedy and himself running for president, on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles. The politician died a day later in hospital at the age of 42.
The gunman was sentenced to death in 1969, which was commuted to life in prison a few years later. A committee voted in favor of his release last year. Some of Kennedy’s children have also advocated this.
As governor, however, Newsom has the last word on this and doesn’t feel like letting Sirhan go. He called the Kennedy assassination “one of the most infamous crimes in American history.” The governor is known as an admirer of the politician who was shot dead, whom he has called his “political hero”.
The Democrat writes in an opinion piece that after decades in prison, Sirhan still “refuses to take responsibility for his actions.” Newsom argues that the shooter has presented himself as the victim before and has not learned enough to prevent similar “dangerous and destructive” behavior in the future.
