Trump Administration Releases Thousands of MLK Assassination Files

The MLK files in today’s release had never been digitized and sat collecting dust in facilities across the federal government for decades, until today.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) announcing Monday the release of the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination files.

Why It Matters: The documents total more than 230,000 pages and include, “discussion of potential leads, internal FBI memos detailing the progress of the case, and documents related to James Earl Ray’s former cellmate, who stated he discussed with Ray an alleged assassination plot,” according to the ODNI press release. King’s youngest child, Bernice King, posted a statement on X on behalf of her and her brother, saying in part, “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.” 

Learn More: 

• DNI Gabbard, in Partnership with DOJ, FBI, CIA, and NARA, Release Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination Files (ODNI) 
• Records Related to the Assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (National Archives)
• Trump administration releases records on Martin Luther King Jr. assassination (CBS News)  

Image Credit: Library of Congress