Trump Administration Releases King Assassination Files Amid Epstein Coverup Allegations

The Trump administration has released a comprehensive collection of documents concerning the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. This release includes FBI surveillance files that have remained sealed from public access since 1977, totaling approximately 230,000 pages.

The release comes despite opposition from prominent members of King’s family, who expressed concerns about the potential misuse of these documents. In a statement, King’s two surviving children, Martin III and Bernice, condemned any efforts to exploit the files to undermine their father’s legacy. They urged those engaging with the documents to approach them with “empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief.”

Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister and pivotal figure in the civil rights movement, was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39. James Earl Ray, a career criminal, confessed to the murder but later attempted to retract his plea.

Critics of President Trump have pointed out that the timing of this release coincides with ongoing accusations against his administration regarding a lack of transparency related to files concerning the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whose death in jail was ruled a suicide. Civil rights activist Al Sharpton suggested that the disclosure of King’s files may serve as “a desperate attempt to distract” from the controversies surrounding the Epstein case and the unraveling credibility of the Trump administration.

In their statement, Martin III and Bernice King emphasized the context of the government’s surveillance of their father, describing it as an invasive and predatory campaign led by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. They noted that this relentless targeting denied King the “dignity and freedoms of private citizens.” The family also referenced a 1999 jury verdict from a wrongful death civil lawsuit, which concluded that King was not the victim of a single racist gunman but rather a part of a broader conspiracy.

Earlier this year, President Trump ordered the declassification of documents related to the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., former President John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy. A press release from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) indicated that the King files had been sitting unused in various federal facilities for decades.

The released documents include “internal FBI memos” and “never-before-seen CIA records” connected to the investigation of King’s assassination. This effort was coordinated with the FBI, Department of Justice, National Archives, and CIA. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated, “The American people deserve answers decades after the horrific assassination of one of our nation’s great leaders.”

Interestingly, not all of King’s family opposed the release. Alveda King, referring to Martin Luther King Jr. as her uncle, expressed gratitude to President Trump and DNI Gabbard for their commitment to transparency. She viewed the declassification as a historic step toward uncovering the truth that the American public deserves.

James Earl Ray, the man convicted of killing King, had previously fled the U.S. and traveled to Canada, Portugal, and the UK, where he committed a bank robbery. After being extradited to Memphis, he entered a guilty plea in 1969 and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ray later claimed he had been framed by a conspiracy and sought to recant his plea, but all attempts were denied by the courts. He passed away in 1998 at the age of 70.