Trump Administration Releases Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination Files

The Trump administration has released over 230,000 pages of documents related to the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., making them publicly available with only minimal redactions for privacy reasons. The move, authorized by an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, comes as part of a broader effort to declassify records surrounding major political assassinations of the 1960s, including those of President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert F. Kennedy.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed the release in a statement, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to transparency. “The American people have waited nearly sixty years to see the full scope of the federal government’s investigation into Dr. King’s assassination,” she said. “We are ensuring that no stone is left unturned in our mission to deliver complete transparency on this pivotal and tragic event in our nation’s history.”

The files’ release comes despite opposition from King’s surviving family members, who voiced concern that the documents could be misused to undermine the civil rights icon’s legacy. Martin Luther King III and Bernice King issued a joint statement supporting public access to the records but cautioned that their father had already been the target of a “predatory, invasive, and deeply disturbing” surveillance and disinformation campaign led by former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. “These actions were not only invasions of privacy, but intentional assaults on the truth,” the statement read. They urged the public to approach the documents “with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief.”

Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in April 1968. James Earl Ray was convicted of the murder and died in prison in 1998. However, doubts about his guilt have long persisted, with the King family among those who have questioned the official account.

Earlier this year, the National Archives released records from the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the 1968 killing of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. While the Warren Commission concluded that JFK was killed by lone gunman Lee Harvey Oswald, skepticism and conspiracy theories have persisted for decades. Similarly, Robert Kennedy’s assassination by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles has remained a subject of public interest and debate.