The Trump administration has released over 240,000 pages of government documents related to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., offering new insights into the case. The files, including FBI memos and intelligence reports, have been posted on the National Archives website. However, King’s family and some researchers suspect a broader conspiracy, while the administration claims the documents do not reveal new details about the FBI’s surveillance of King or possible links to the alleged assassin, James Earl Ray.
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Segregationist James Earl Ray confessed to the killing but later recanted. He died in prison in 1998. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard said the files include FBI memos, case leads, notes on Ray’s former cellmate, and overseas intelligence from the manhunt after Ray fled to the UK. Early reviews revealed no new details on FBI surveillance of King or possible links to Ray. Some researchers – and King’s family – believe the killing was part of a wider conspiracy and that Ray may have been framed.
King’s children, Bernice King and Martin Luther King III, were given early access to the records and opposed their release, fearing they might contain material that could damage their father’s legacy. In a statement on X, they urged the public to view the documents in “their full historical context,” stressing that King’s death remains a deeply personal loss. “We support transparency and historical accountability, but oppose any attacks on our father’s legacy or efforts to weaponize it with falsehoods,” they said, adding they will review the documents to assess whether Ray was truly responsible.
In a separate post, Bernice King addressed another controversy, writing on X: “Now do the Epstein files,” referencing claims of a cover-up in the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Critics have slammed the administration’s handling of the case. The Justice Department released ‘The Epstein Files: Phase 1’ in February, but the heavily redacted documents revealed little new information.