Trump Administration Orders Release of 230,000 Files on MLK Assassination Amid Family’s Plea for Respect

WASHINGTON D.C. — The Trump administration has released more than 230,000 pages of files related to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., making them available online for the first time in one centralized and digitized collection. The release, announced July 21, 2025, by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, follows Executive Order 14176, which was signed by former President Donald Trump on January 23 to declassify records tied to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.

“These documents include details about the FBI’s investigation into the assassination of MLK; including internal FBI memos and files related to James Earl Ray’s former cellmate, who said he discussed an assassination plot,” Gabbard said during the announcement.

The collection features investigative leads, surveillance logs, CIA intelligence tied to James Earl Ray’s international movements, and interviews with Ray’s brother and former cellmate. Some files, including FBI wiretap recordings, remain sealed and were not part of this release.

King’s children, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, issued a statement urging the public to approach the documents “with empathy, restraint and respect for our family’s continuing grief.” They highlighted the FBI’s COINTELPRO campaign during the 1960s, describing it as an effort by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI to “discredit, dismantle and destroy” both Dr. King’s reputation and the broader civil rights movement.

Historians reviewing the newly released files say no major breakthroughs have surfaced. Pulitzer Prize–winning King biographer David Garrow described the documents as largely procedural and consistent with prior findings, warning against drawing conclusions from unverified FBI memos. “Just because you see it in a top-secret document… doesn’t mean it’s all accurate,” Garrow said.

The 1979 House Select Committee on Assassinations previously concluded that white supremacists were likely involved in a conspiracy but found no evidence of government participation in King’s killing. The new documents also provide insight into the extent of surveillance programs such as the NSA’s Minaret and the CIA’s HTLINGUAL project, which monitored King’s communications.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi praised the release, calling it “a step toward transparency” and stating, “The American people deserve answers decades after the horrific assassination of one of our nation’s great leaders.” Additional documents will continue to be posted online, though sealed wiretap recordings are expected to remain classified until at least 2027.

In closing, Garrow reiterated his assessment: “The files offer interesting procedural insight but nothing new so far.”

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