Trump administration releases thousands of previously classified MLK assassination documents
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced the release of over 230,000 files related to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump.
"The American people have waited nearly 60 years to see the full scope of the federal government’s investigation into Dr. King’s assassination," Gabbard said. "Under President Trump’s leadership, 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. I extend my deepest appreciation to the King family for their support."
The files are being released as part of Trump’s commitment to release previously-classified documents related to King, as well as President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.
The latest batch of files includes details about the investigation conducted by the FBI into King’s assassination.
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Some of the documents pertain to a discussion of potential leads, internal FBI memos regarding the progress of the case, and those related to James Earl Ray’s former cellmate, who stated he discussed an alleged assassination plot with Ray.
Additionally, the release has foreign evidence from Canadian police regarding Ray’s fleeing from the country after King’s assassination.
"The American people deserve answers decades after the horrific assassination of one of our nation’s great leaders," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "The Department of Justice is proud to partner with Director Gabbard and the ODNI at President Trump’s direction for this latest disclosure."
King’s children, Bernice and Martin Luther King III, had previously opposed the release of the documents, and on Monday released a statement.
"We recognize that the release of documents concerning the assassination of our father, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has long been a subject of interest, captivating public curiosity for decades," the statement read on X. "As the children of Dr. King and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, his tragic death has been an intensely personal grief – a devastating loss for his wife, children, and the granddaughter he never met – an absence our family has endured for over 57 years. 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."
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Gabbard announced in April that documents related to the 1968 assassinations of RFK and MLK would be released in the coming days, noting that over 100 people were "working around the clock" to scan paperwork related to both killings and subsequent investigations.
She told Trump during a cabinet meeting at the White House in April that the documents had been sitting in storage for decades and had never been scanned or seen prior.
Upon taking office, Trump issued an executive order to declassify files on the assassinations of King, a civil rights icon who was gunned down on April 4, 1968, outside his second-floor Tennessee hotel room in Memphis.
The newly released files can be viewed by visiting the National Archives website at www.archives.gov.