Trump Releases FBI Files on Martin Luther King Jr.—Here’s What They Reveal

The recent release of thousands of FBI files on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ordered by former President Donald Trump, has ignited fresh controversy and reopened decades-old wounds tied to surveillance, legacy, and power.

More than 6,000 pages of documents were made public, three years ahead of their scheduled 2027 release, despite strong opposition from Dr. King’s children, who warn the move risks weaponizing history.

The files, largely consisting of the FBI’s internal investigations leading up to King’s assassination in 1968, do not contain the full breadth of the bureau’s surveillance campaign. The most sensitive materials—tapes and transcripts from wiretaps approved during J. Edgar Hoover’s tenure—remain sealed until the original release date.

Even so, the early unsealing has stirred deep concerns, particularly among King’s descendants and civil rights leaders, who see it not as a gesture of transparency, but as a distraction from other ongoing controversies.

“Do the Epstein Files”

Shortly after the release, Bernice King, Dr. King’s youngest daughter, voiced her disapproval with a sharp rebuke on social media: “Now, do the Epstein files.” Her comment referred to Trump’s unfulfilled promise to release documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier whose case continues to raise questions across political lines.

For the King family, this moment feels all too familiar. In a joint statement, Bernice and her brother Martin Luther King III said they “support transparency and historical accountability,” but reject any effort to “undermine our father’s legacy” or “distort the truth of the movement he led.”

“Those who promote the fruit of the FBI’s surveillance will unknowingly align themselves with an ongoing campaign to degrade our father,” they wrote, adding that the timing of the release may invite misinterpretation rather than deeper understanding.

What’s Inside the Files

The newly available files, totaling approximately 230,000 pages, detail decades of FBI surveillance and investigative leads surrounding King’s political activities, personal life, and ultimately, his assassination. Historians who have reviewed the documents say there are no shocking revelations, but they underscore how thoroughly King was monitored and scrutinized by the government.

The only unsealed audio recording so far features Jerry Ray, brother of James Earl Ray, the man convicted of assassinating King. Most of the materials released include agency memos, news clippings, and leads followed in the 1968 murder investigation.

Notably absent are the infamous wiretap recordings and transcripts Hoover’s FBI used to surveil and attempt to discredit King. Those remain sealed until 2027.

Dr. King’s legacy has long been tangled with the U.S. government’s efforts to monitor—and at times actively destabilize, his work. Under Hoover’s directive, the FBI waged a years-long campaign to erode King’s public image, fearing his rising influence in both Black communities and the broader anti-war and poverty movements.

In 1999, more than 30 years after his assassination, the King family won a wrongful death lawsuit, arguing that the U.S. government played a role in his killing. A Memphis jury agreed, concluding that King’s death resulted from a conspiracy. The symbolic judgment awarded the family $100, which they donated to charity.

A Legacy Under Fire—Again

The release of the MLK files comes amid heightened political tensions and renewed conversations about how America chooses to remember, and misremember its history. Critics of Trump’s decision say it’s not about uncovering truth, but shifting focus.

Rev. Al Sharpton called the release a “smear,” suggesting the files were made public now to draw attention away from Trump’s own legal troubles, including growing pressure over unreleased documents related to Epstein.

“This isn’t about justice or transparency,” Sharpton said. “It’s about distraction. About narrative control. And about turning a truth-teller into a controversy.”