Trump Admin Releases MLK Jr. Files Despite Resistance From Civil Rights Leader’s Family

Trump Administration Declassifies MLK Assassination Files Amid Mixed Reactions from King Family

The Trump administration has released over 230,000 pages of long-sealed documents related to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., including FBI and CIA records detailing surveillance efforts against the civil rights icon. The files, blocked from public view since 1977 under court order, were declassified as part of a broader transparency push that also includes documents on the Kennedy assassinations.

Dr. King's children, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, criticized the release, warning that the documents could be misused to tarnish their father's legacy. They urged the public to approach the files with sensitivity and remember that King was the target of a disturbing federal campaign led by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

While some family members condemned the move, others welcomed it. Alveda King, a niece of the civil rights leader, praised the Trump administration and called the declassification a historic step toward truth.

The newly released files include internal FBI memos and previously unreleased CIA records connected to the investigation into King’s 1968 murder in Memphis. Although James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to the killing, the King family has long pointed to a 1999 civil suit verdict that found King was the victim of a broader conspiracy, not just a lone gunman.

Critics of Trump argue the timing of the release is politically motivated, coinciding with mounting scrutiny over the administration’s handling of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.

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