In a controversial move, the Trump administration has released more than 240,000 pages of FBI records related to the surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr., ignoring strong opposition from his family and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
The once-sealed documents, stored under lock since 1977, are now public after a federal judge lifted the court-ordered seal early at the request of the Justice Department.
King’s two surviving children, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, released a powerful statement ahead of the disclosure, calling for empathy, restraint, and respect as the public examines these highly sensitive files. “These files must be viewed within their full historical context,” they wrote, reminding the world that while the documents are part of national history, for them, it’s also deeply personal grief that’s lasted more than five decades. Bernice was only five years old when her father was assassinated; Martin III was ten.
The release of these files is part of a broader declassification effort pushed by Donald Trump. Back in office, Trump promised to declassify documents related to high-profile assassinations like JFK, RFK, and MLK Jr., and signed an executive order to do just that. The JFK documents were released in March, RFK in April, and now, the long-awaited King files are out.
But the motivation behind the timing has drawn skepticism. Trump’s move to spotlight the MLK documents arrives just days after backlash over his handling of sealed records related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Some see this as an effort to shift public attention while still fulfilling an earlier executive order.
The documents now available provide a deeper look into what has long been established about the FBI’s hostile obsession with King. Under former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, King was relentlessly targeted by COINTELPRO, a federal program designed to surveil, discredit, and neutralize political figures seen as threats. The bureau wiretapped his phones, bugged his hotel rooms, and even planted informants in his inner circle. Hoover viewed King as a communist threat, especially as King moved from civil rights into economic justice and anti-war advocacy following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
King’s children didn’t hold back in their statement. “He was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover,” they wrote. They described the FBI’s actions as “intentional assaults on the truth,” aimed at dismantling not only King’s legacy but the entire Civil Rights Movement.
Despite official narratives, questions still swirl around King’s assassination on April 4, 1968, in Memphis. James Earl Ray pleaded guilty but later recanted, and King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, pushed for a reinvestigation. A probe led by the Justice Department in 1998 reaffirmed Ray’s guilt, but doubts persist to this day about whether he acted alone, or at all.
Civil rights groups, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference which King co-founded in 1957, joined the King family in opposing the release. They argue that these files, gathered through illegal and unethical means, were never meant to be public without proper context. Yet, the seal intended to keep them hidden until 2027 is now broken, and the public will soon be poring through decades of surveillance, gossip, and intelligence-gathering intended to destroy a man whose only mission was justice.
As journalists, scholars, and historians begin combing through these files, King’s family has one plea: let’s not lose sight of the man behind the pages. Let the world remember Dr. King not as a subject of government obsession but as a leader whose message still echoes louder than any wiretap ever could.
Leo Cruz brings sharp insights into the world of politics, offering balanced reporting and analysis on the latest policies, elections, and global political events. With years of experience covering campaigns and interviewing world leaders, Leo ensures readers are always informed and engaged.
