The Trump administration on Monday released a massive trove of documents related to the April 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. as part of an effort “to deliver complete transparency” into the civil rights icon’s murder.
“Today, after nearly 60 years of questions surrounding the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we are releasing 230,000 MLK assassination files,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard wrote on X.
Gabbard noted that the documents, released in partnership with the Justice Department, Central Intelligence Agency, National Archives and the FBI, detail the federal investigation into the shooting at Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., which resulted in 39-year-old King’s death.
Information about convicted assassin James Earl Ray’s discussion with a former cellmate about an alleged assassination plot and potential leads the FBI explored after the shooting are included in the documents, according to the director of national intelligence.
Details about the CIA’s overseas intelligence collection efforts during the manhunt for Ray, who was captured in London two months after the King assassination, are also included in the records.
“The American people have waited nearly sixty years to see the full scope of the federal government’s investigation into Dr. King’s assassination,” Gabbard said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are ensuring that no stone is left unturned in our mission to deliver complete transparency on this pivotal and tragic event in our nation’s history.”
“I extend my deepest appreciation to the King family for their support.”
The release comes after President Trump signed an executive order in January ordering the declassification of records concerning the assassinations of King, former President John F. Kennedy and former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.
Dr. Alveda King, MLK’s niece, praised the Trump administration for providing “transparency” about the investigation into her uncle’s murder.
“I am grateful to President Trump and DNI Gabbard for delivering on their pledge of transparency in the release of these documents on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr,” she said in a statement. “My uncle lived boldly in pursuit of truth and justice, and his enduring legacy of faith continues to inspire Americans to this day.”
“While we continue to mourn his death, the declassification and release of these documents are a historic step towards the truth that the American people deserve.”
King’s family, including his two living children, Martin III and Bernice, were provided two weeks of advance notice ahead of the release and had their own teams review the records before Monday’s document dump.
Referring to their father’s case as a decades-long “captivating public curiosity,” the King children urged the public to view the files “within their full historical context.”
“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,” they wrote in a statement, according to the Associated Press.
“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.”
It’s unclear if the cache of documents reveals any new information on King’s murder.
Federal officials have long said that Ray, who died in 1998 while serving a 99-year prison sentence, acted alone.
Historians, academics and internet sleuths are expected to pore over the documents as they did with previous releases related to the JFK and RFK assassinations.
This is a developing story. Please check back for more information.
