Trump Releases MLK FBI Files

The Donald Trump administration has released over 240,000 pages of United States — Federal Bureau of Investigation surveillance records on Martin Luther King Jr., despite strong opposition from his children, Martin Luther King Jr. and Bernice King, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. These documents, sealed since 1977, were transferred to the United States — National Archives and Records Administration and have now been digitized. The release fulfills a campaign promise by Donald Trump, who also ordered the declassification of records related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard praised Donald Trump for this 'unprecedented' disclosure. Martin Luther King Jr.'s family expressed deep personal grief and urged the public to view the files with empathy and historical context, reiterating their long-held belief that James Earl Ray was not solely responsible for his assassination. They also highlighted the United States — Federal Bureau of Investigation's alleged 'disinformation and surveillance campaign' orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover to discredit Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Some, like Alveda King, Martin Luther King Jr.'s niece, supported the release for its 'transparency,' while others, like Al Sharpton, viewed it as a political distraction from controversies surrounding Donald Trump's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Historians and journalists are now reviewing the documents for new insights into Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, activism, and death.