US Releases 230,000 MLK Assassination Files Despite Family Opposition

The Trump administration released over 230,000 pages of previously classified FBI documents related to the 1968 assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as part of an executive order aimed at transparency around the assassinations of King, President John F. Kennedy, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. The release, which was accelerated from its originally scheduled date in 2027, includes surveillance files and internal memos that had been sealed since 1977 and are now accessible via the National Archives website. King's surviving children, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, expressed support for transparency but criticized the release for potentially being used to attack their father's legacy, highlighting the FBI's history of invasive surveillance and disinformation campaigns orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover to discredit King and the civil rights movement. Civil rights organizations also opposed the release, urging the public to approach the files with empathy and respect. Media coverage varied, with right-leaning outlets emphasizing President Trump's commitment to transparency, while left-leaning outlets focused on the objections from King's family and civil rights leaders. The release continues the administration's broader effort to declassify files on these historic assassinations, following earlier disclosures of JFK and RFK assassination records.