The Trump administration has released over 240,000 pages of FBI records detailing the surveillance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., despite strong opposition from the civil rights icon’s family and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which he co-founded.
The documents, which had been under court seal since 1977, were turned over to the National Archives and have now been digitized and made publicly accessible. The release includes materials gathered by the FBI on King’s political activities, surveillance records, and investigative leads following his 1968 assassination.
King’s children, Martin Luther King III and Dr. Bernice King, issued a joint statement expressing sorrow and urging the public to treat the records with empathy and historical sensitivity.
“Our father’s death has been a deeply personal grief for over 57 years,” they wrote. “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.”
The records reportedly include documentation of the FBI and CIA’s concern over Dr. King’s turn toward global anti-war and anti-poverty efforts in the years preceding his assassination. The files also detail the bureau’s extensive surveillance efforts, led by then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who considered King a threat to national stability.
“This release is not about transparency or justice,” said civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton. “It’s a calculated distraction from the growing scrutiny facing Trump over the Epstein files.”
The release follows an executive order signed by Donald Trump during his presidency, which called for the declassification of files related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. Earlier this year, the JFK files were unsealed, followed by partial disclosures concerning RFK.
Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, called the release “unprecedented,” praising Trump for “his commitment to government transparency.” Alveda King, niece of Dr. King and a Trump supporter, echoed the praise, saying she was “grateful” for the disclosure.
However, the King family reiterated longstanding doubts about the official account of King’s assassination. James Earl Ray, convicted of the killing, later recanted his confession, and in a 1999 civil trial, a Memphis jury concluded that Dr. King had been the victim of a conspiracy. The family continues to believe Ray was either innocent or not the sole actor.
“Our family has never accepted the official version of events,” the Kings stated. “We will assess whether these newly released files offer new insight beyond what we have already uncovered.”
Civil rights groups have also raised concern over how the FBI’s actions against King, including phone tapping, hotel room bugging, and disinformation campaigns, reflect systemic abuses of power.
“These actions were not only invasions of privacy but assaults on the truth,” the King children emphasized, referencing the FBI’s infamous COINTELPRO operation.
The King Center, led by Bernice King, described the release as “unfortunate and ill-timed,” calling it a distraction from pressing social justice issues. The SCLC likewise condemned the publication, citing the FBI’s illegal and unethical treatment of civil rights leaders.
Although historians and journalists anticipate valuable research opportunities from the documents, the King family has urged that their father’s legacy not be distorted or weaponized.
“We support transparency and historical accountability,” their statement concluded. “But we strongly object to any attempts to attack our father’s legacy or use these documents to promote falsehoods.”
Written By Rodney Mbua
