The Trump administration has released more than 240,000 pages of FBI surveillance records on Martin Luther King Jr., despite opposition from King’s family and civil rights organizations. The records, which had been sealed since 1977, were made public despite the King family’s requests for privacy and their concerns about the historical context of the documents.
According to CNN, the release comes as part of Trump’s broader initiative to declassify historical records, including those related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence called the disclosure “unprecedented” and noted that many records were digitized for the first time.
In response to the release, Bernice King, MLK Jr.’s daughter, posted a black-and-white photo of her father looking annoyed on her personal Instagram account with the caption “Now, do the Epstein files.” This came as Trump faces mounting criticism for withholding the Jeffrey Epstein files, only ordering the Justice Department to release grand jury testimony while keeping other records sealed.
King family expresses concerns over timing and context of release
Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, the civil rights leader’s two living children, emphasized the personal nature of their father’s assassination and asked for empathy from those reviewing the files. In their joint statement, they described the release as particularly sensitive given that their family has endured the loss for over 57 years.
The King Center, now led by Bernice King, criticized the timing of the release, describing it as “unfortunate and ill-timed” given the current pressing issues facing the United States and global society. Civil rights activists, including Rev. Al Sharpton, suggested the release was a deliberate attempt to distract from the ongoing controversy surrounding Trump’s refusal to release the Epstein files.
This administration is the worst!
— brenda seth (@BrendaSeth) July 22, 2025
If the con man can’t have his way, he will deflect & try to burn others down. Why release the MLK Jr. records now, all these years later?
American doesn’t want the MLK files…they want the Epstein files, complete & unedited.
The released documents include information about FBI leads following King’s assassination and details about the CIA’s interest in King’s anti-war and anti-poverty movements before his death. The records also reveal the extent of J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI surveillance campaign against King, which included wiretapping phone lines and bugging hotel rooms.
The King family maintains their long-held position that James Earl Ray, who was convicted of the assassination, was not solely responsible for their father’s death. They referenced a 1999 civil case in Memphis where a jury concluded that Martin Luther King Jr. had been the target of a conspiracy, though a Justice Department investigation in 1998 found no reason to question Ray’s guilt.
