The Trump administration has released a trove of records on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., including FBI surveillance files on the civil rights leader. The documents, totaling 230,000 pages, were kept under wraps since 1977 due to a court-imposed order. Despite opposition from King’s family, the files are now available to the public.
King’s children, Martin III and Bernice, expressed concerns about the release, stating, “We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief.” They emphasized the importance of viewing the files within their full historical context, highlighting the invasive and predatory surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover through the FBI during their father’s lifetime.
“The release of these files must be viewed within their full historical context,” the family stated. “During our father’s lifetime, he was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by J Edgar Hoover through the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” The government’s surveillance denied King the “dignity and freedoms of private citizens,” they added.
The family also cited a jury verdict in a 1999 wrongful death civil lawsuit that found King was the victim of a vast conspiracy, not just a lone gunman. “We support transparency and historical accountability,” they said, “but we are concerned that these records could be used for attacks on our father’s legacy.”
Not all of King’s family members opposed the release. Alveda King, his niece, expressed gratitude to President Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for delivering on their pledge of transparency. “I am grateful to President Trump and DNI Gabbard for delivering on their pledge of transparency,” she said. “While we continue to mourn his death, the declassification and release of these documents are a historic step towards the truth that the American people deserve”.
The released documents include internal FBI memos and never-before-seen CIA records behind the hunt for King’s assassin, James Earl Ray. Ray pleaded guilty to the killing but later renounced his plea, claiming he was framed by shadowy conspirators. The documents were released in accordance with President Trump’s executive order to declassify files related to the assassinations of King, President John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy.
“The American people deserve answers decades after the horrific assassination of one of our nation’s great leaders,” US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “The Department of Justice is proud to partner with Director Gabbard and the ODNI at President Trump’s direction for this latest disclosure”.
The release of the King files has sparked controversy, with some critics accusing the Trump administration of attempting to distract from other issues, such as the Jeffrey Epstein case. Civil rights leader Al Sharpton said the disclosure was “a desperate attempt to distract” from “the firestorm engulfing Trump over the Epstein files and the public unraveling of his credibility”.
