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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sits speaks on the telephone after encountering a white mob protesting against the Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama, May 26, 1961. On Monday, the Trump administration released a trove of records about King's assassination. Express Newspapers/Getty Images/Hulton Archive hide caption
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Express Newspapers/Getty Images/Hulton Archive
The National Archives has published thousands of newly digitized documents relating to the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as part of a directive by President Trump.
The release on Monday follows through on an executive order Trump signed days into his second term, requiring the release and declassification of records connected to King's murder and the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy – tragedies that have been the subject of curiosity and conspiracy theories for decades.
It was not immediately clear what new historical insights would be found in the trove of documents. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a statement Monday that the release included more than 230,000 files relating to King's assassination, including information connected to the man who was convicted of murdering him, James Earl Ray.
"The documents include details about the FBI's investigation into the assassination of MLK, discussion of potential leads, internal FBI memos detailing the progress of the case, information about James Earl Ray's former cellmate who stated he discussed with Ray an alleged assassination plot, and more," the ODNI statement said.
King's family responded to the release by saying the files must be viewed "within their full historical context," adding that the late civil rights leader was "relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)."
"While we support transparency and historical accountability, we object to any attacks on our father's legacy or attempts to weaponize it to spread falsehoods," King's children, Martin Luther King III and Dr. Bernice A. King, wrote in a statement.
Members of King's family have long disputed Ray's conviction, arguing he was set up, a point repeated in Monday's statement.
"As we review these newly released files, we will assess whether they offer additional insights beyond the findings our family has already accepted," they said.
In a statement announcing the release, Attorney General Pam Bondi said, "The American people deserve answers decades after the horrific assassination of one of our nation's great leaders."
The Trump administration's decision to publish the files comes as the White House faces growing pressure from Trump's base to also release additional information related to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In March, the administration also released thousands of records relating to the assassination of JFK.
