Trump Releases FBI Files on MLK Amid Epstein Backlash – King Family Slams Move as Disrespectful Distraction
The Trump administration has made waves again—this time by releasing nearly 200,000 pages of FBI surveillance records on Martin Luther King Jr., despite firm opposition from the civil rights leader’s family and the organization he once led.
These explosive documents, sealed by court order since 1977, are now available on a government website. They chronicle years of government spying on the slain Nobel Peace Prize laureate, collected and handed over to the National Archives decades ago.
The release comes as Donald Trump faces growing pressure to honor a different campaign promise—to declassify federal files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender with whom Trump had ties spanning over 15 years. Critics argue that unveiling MLK’s FBI files is a tactical diversion to shift public attention away from the Epstein scandal.
Martin Luther King III and Dr. Bernice King, the civil rights icon’s surviving children, had advance notice of the file dump. Their respective teams had already started combing through the records before the public release. In a heartfelt statement, they urged the public to approach the documents with “empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief.”
“Our father was relentlessly targeted by a predatory surveillance campaign run by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, designed not just to spy, but to discredit and destroy his reputation,” the King children wrote.
They reiterated their long-standing belief that James Earl Ray, the man officially blamed for the assassination, was not the sole perpetrator—and possibly not involved at all.
At the time of King’s death at 39, Bernice was just five years old, and Martin III was only 10. They insist the FBI’s COINTELPRO program aimed to “neutralize voices of justice”, attacking not just individuals but the entire Civil Rights Movement.
“These were not just invasions of privacy—they were assaults on truth, dignity, and the right to dissent,” the statement read.
They also warned against anyone using these documents to tarnish King’s legacy, saying it would play directly into the hands of those who originally sought to destroy him.
“Those who echo the FBI’s twisted narratives from these files are unknowingly aligning with a historical campaign meant to dismantle the very movement that uplifted this nation.”
Not all reactions were supportive. Rev. Al Sharpton blasted the timing as “political theater,” calling the release a calculated stunt to distract from Trump’s Epstein controversies and the eroding trust within his MAGA base.
The King Center, now led by Bernice King, issued a separate statement, branding the move “ill-timed and unfortunate.” The center said America should instead focus on the pressing social crises that Dr. King dedicated his life to addressing.
“This is a moment to double down on King’s mission—not derail it with distractions,” the King Center urged.
Trump’s initial promise wasn’t just about MLK—it also included commitments to release records surrounding the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy and the 1968 murder of Robert F. Kennedy. The JFK files were declassified in March, and some RFK documents followed in April.
Originally, the MLK records were scheduled for release in 2027. But a recent Justice Department request led a federal judge to lift the seal early.
Now, historians, journalists, and activists are poring over the files, searching for new insight into King’s 1968 assassination in Memphis, where he had gone to support striking sanitation workers in a broader call for economic justice.
James Earl Ray initially pleaded guilty to the murder, only to later renounce that plea and maintain his innocence until his death in 1998. That same year, then-Attorney General Janet Reno reopened the case. But her department found no reason to challenge the original verdict.
Still, the King family has never bought into the lone gunman theory. In 1999, a Memphis jury ruled that Martin Luther King Jr. was the victim of a conspiracy—a theory the family continues to uphold.
“As we examine these files,” said Bernice and Martin III, “we’ll see if they offer any new truths. But our belief remains: our father’s death was not the act of one man, but a plot involving deeper forces—including government entities.”
Description:
"Donald Trump releases 200,000+ FBI files on Martin Luther King Jr., ignoring objections from King’s family. Critics say it’s a smokescreen to shift focus from Jeffrey Epstein’s files. Read the brusty breakdown."