Trump Administration Releases 230,000 MLK Assassination Files Amid Family Concerns and Public Curiosity

In sweeping for government transparency, the Trump administration released more than 230,000 pages of records related to the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. The records, once court-sealed for years, consist of FBI memos, CIA documents, foreign leads, and deposition from the former cellmate of James Earl Ray.

National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard released the documents, citing the public's decades-old demand for transparency. The documents were scanned and made public by the National Archives, following an executive order by President Trump in January.

King's children, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, signed an affidavit of great concern over the release. They acknowledged the public interest but warned that the files are part of a "predatory and deeply disturbing" surveillance campaign led by former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. The family urged readers to view the documents with compassion and understanding of history.

Researchers and historians are currently studying the cache, which includes foreign intelligence reports and documents that may shed new light on the circumstances of King's assassination. James Earl Ray was convicted of the killing, but the King family long suspected the official explanation and supported findings from a 1999 civil trial that hinted at a darker conspiracy.

The release date has been eyebrow-raising, with some speculating that it might be a diversion from another scandal, e.g., how the administration handled the Epstein investigation files.