‘Release Epstein files': Martin Luther King's family as 6,000 documents on him branded ‘distraction'
The Trump administration heralded the move as a victory for transparency. But to many civil rights historians and King's surviving family, the release was something else entirely: a distraction.
'This is a desperate attempt to distract,' said civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton, pointing to the storm of public pressure on the Trump administration to release files related to the death of Jeffrey Epstein. Sharpton accused the White House of using the King files 'to draw attention away from the firestorm engulfing Trump over the Epstein files and the public unraveling of his credibility.'
King's daughter, Bernice King, echoed that sentiment. Hours after the documents went live, she posted a photo of her father on X with a sharp caption: 'Now, do the Epstein files.'
If the release was meant to be a political manoeuvre, its substance didn't match its fanfare. Despite the volume, there is little in the newly released trove that offers fresh insight into the 1968 assassination of America's most prominent civil rights leader. Most of the material, aging reports, FBI memos, clippings, and tips, has either been released before or adds little to what is already publicly known.
'I saw nothing that struck me as new,' David Garrow, the Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of Dr. King and chronicler of the FBI's campaign against him told The New York Times.
What the files do contain are fragments of an exhaustive manhunt: interviews with people who knew King's killer, James Earl Ray; documentation of Ray's bizarre personal life—his interest in locksmithing, dance classes, and Bond-style aliases; and accounts of tips phoned in by the public in the chaotic weeks after the shooting.
The government has long maintained that James Earl Ray acted alone. Ray, a career criminal who escaped from Missouri State Penitentiary a year before the assassination, pleaded guilty in 1969 but soon recanted, claiming he was part of a broader conspiracy.
Allegations of official complicity have persisted ever since, pointing to the FBI, Memphis police, and even foreign intelligence services. But the newly released material does little to address or settle those claims.
Missing from this release are the FBI wiretap recordings of Dr King, part of the bureau's extensive surveillance campaign aimed at discrediting him. Those remain sealed under court order until 2027.
In the 1960s, the FBI sought to expose King's personal life, especially his alleged extramarital affairs, in an attempt to destroy his credibility and halt the momentum of the civil rights movement.
Martin Luther King III and Bernice King issued a joint statement Monday, urging the public to consider the files in light of their father's legacy. 'He was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign,' they wrote. '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.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
4 minutes ago
- Economic Times
While US meddled in Greenland, Russia quietly moved in on this strategic Arctic territory belonging to Norway
Russia moves to get an Arctic territory: Russia increases its presence in Svalbard. This area is under Norway's control. Experts believe Moscow uses US Arctic moves as cover. Svalbard's location is strategically important. It overlooks the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap. Russia fears NATO militarization of Svalbard. Recent incidents include Chechen forces spotted and severed communication cables. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why Is Svalbard Gaining Strategic Importance? Russia's Real Focus: Military Leverage Over the GIUK Gap Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Russia's Fears Over NATO Military Use of Svalbard Signs of Russia's Growing Presence In Svalbard Chechen special forces were spotted using Svalbard's main airfield during Arctic drills. A Russian trawler allegedly severed undersea communication cables in 2022. Soviet flags have reappeared in Russian settlements like Barentsburg and Pyramiden. In 2023, Russia's consul general held a symbolic Victory Day parade on Norwegian soil. FAQs As US ambitions inmade global headlines, anotherflashpoint quietly began to heat up, this time in Norway's backyard, as per a report. While American diplomatic efforts focused on Greenland's strategic value, especially under the Trump administration,was busy stepping up its presence and influence in the, a remote cluster of icy islands undercontrol, as per a report by now warn thatmay be using Washington's Arctic moves as cover to press its own claims in Svalbard, due to Svalbard's location, which offers even more strategic leverage than Greenland, as per the roughly midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, Svalbard has long been on the periphery of global attention, as per Caliber. But that changed as melting Arctic ice opened up new opportunities for shipping routes and natural resource extraction, and shifted global attention to the far north, according to the READ: Bitcoin to $300,000? Traders warn of massive surge before next Great Depression hits Russia has increasingly accused Norway of monopolising the surrounding continental shelf, but analysts argue the real value of Svalbard isn't economic, it's strategic, as per Caliber. Its location provides a key vantage point over the Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) Gap, a narrow maritime corridor that Russian submarines would need to cross during a conflict, as per the report. NATO's control over Svalbard, especially Bear Island at the southern end, could give the alliance a critical military advantage, as per the Caliber fear is that Norway, with backing from the US and NATO allies, could eventually militarize the archipelago, transforming Svalbard into a launchpad for surveillance missions or even strike aircraft operations that could threaten Russia's nearby missile testing facilities in Novaya Zemlya, according to the Caliber overt military activity remains unlikely for now, especially given Russia's ongoing military strain in Ukraine, but political and psychological pressure is expected to grow, and reportedly Moscow will continue to test the limits of NATO's response, as reported by READ: 8 video games Twitch turned into global hits: Dune Awakening, GTA 5, Fortnite, Among Us, Phasmophobia and more Incidents in recent years have raised the speculations, as per the report:Another significant move is that Russia planned to build a research center on the archipelago and extend invitations to BRICS member states, as reported by caliber. This move could mark the beginning of a broader diplomatic and geopolitical effort to entrench Russian influence under the guise of scientific cooperation, as reported by location gives a major advantage in watching and controlling key naval routes between the Atlantic and unlikely right now, but the political pressure and strategic posturing are definitely heating up.
Mint
34 minutes ago
- Mint
Donald Trump trolls Barack Obama with OJ Simpson meme as Russia probe origins face renewed scrutiny
Donald Trump has reignited his long-running feud with Barack Obama in typically provocative fashion—this time using a meme that parodies the infamous 1994 O.J. Simpson police chase. But while the meme was intended as a political jab at the former US President, it unexpectedly triggered a viral reaction for another reason: JD Vance's surprise cameo. Originally posted by Donald Trump Jr. and later reshared by Trump himself, the doctored image features Obama riding in a white Ford Bronco, cast as a fugitive. Trump appears in pursuit, driving a police cruiser. Trailing them in a second squad car is Trump's vice-presidential pick JD Vance—depicted in his long-haired, college-era look, a recurring image that social media has taken a liking to. Though Vance wasn't the focus, his youthful appearance once again became meme fodder online. Trump's meme spree didn't stop there. Earlier, he posted an AI-generated deepfake video on Truth Social showing Obama being arrested in the Oval Office by FBI agents, while Trump watched with a grin. The video quickly went viral and drew both ridicule and concern over the rising use of AI in political propaganda. These digital jabs come just as former Democratic presidential candidate and current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard made explosive claims regarding the origins of the Trump-Russia collusion narrative. Originally prepared in 2020 but only declassified recently, the report claims the Obama administration directed an unusually rushed and biased process in producing the assessment. According to the committee, 'This report shows the ICA was not the product of a fair or thorough intelligence process, but of political pressure and selective sourcing.' Gabbard alleges that over 100 documents point to top Obama-era officials—possibly with Obama's direct involvement—fabricating the story in an attempt to undermine Trump's presidency. She says she plans to turn the evidence over to the Department of Justice and the FBI. As Trump continues to weaponise memes and mockery in the digital arena, the renewed scrutiny of Obama-era intelligence operations adds yet another layer of controversy to an already charged political narrative.
Mint
34 minutes ago
- Mint
Global oversight needed for the tokenization of currency: Nirmala Sitharaman
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday called for a redefinition of multilateral institutions to provide effective oversight as countries explore the tokenization of currency, warning of rising complexity and the lack of global frameworks to govern this shift. Speaking at the release of a book, A World in Flux: India's Economic Priorities, in New Delhi, she said that multilateral institutions have never been left in limbo in the last 100 years. The finance minister said this is true for financial as well as strategic institutions. Every multilateral institution that has successfully served earlier is now wondering where it is, what its immediate future will be, and how it will redefine itself. Her concerns about the tokenization of currency—the transformation of money into digital tokens on a blockchain or distributed ledger—come at a time when cryptocurrencies are increasingly making their way into the financial world. The Reserve Bank of India has cautioned multiple times that virtual currencies are risky. However, the US government under President Donald Trump is encouraging more innovation in this area. In January, Trump signed an executive order to ensure Washington's leadership in digital financial technology. He then set up a working group to develop a federal regulatory framework governing digital assets, including stablecoins, and to evaluate the creation of a strategic national digital assets stockpile. Trump also revoked the Treasury Department's 'Framework for International Engagement on Digital Assets, which suppressed innovation and undermined US economic liberty and global leadership in digital finance'. The US is also trying to become the 'crypto capital of the planet', according to the presidential order. Sitharaman said multilateral institutions have to be redefined. 'If you could go for a currency with no gold backing sometime in the 70s, now it is already moving towards tokenization and is that something on which we see the depth of?' The minister also asked if there was any framework under which any country could unilaterally take that route. 'Who is going to have oversight on these sorts of things?' The minister said the depth and the complexity of the situation were increasing. The book, A World in Flux: India's Economic Priorities, edited by Amita Batra, former chairperson at the Centre for South Asian Studies and A.K. Bhattacharya, editorial director at Business Standard is published by Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd. Sitharaman also said in response to a question about the normalization of economic ties with China that it was right to point out that there are calls for greater access and interaction with China, and possibly to open some windows. 'That is not just from our side, even the Chinese have been approaching through the ministry of external affairs,' the minister said, referring to external affairs minister S. Jaishankar's recent visit to China. 'There is some kind of beginning. As to how far it will go, it is something we will have to wait and see,' the minister said, adding it might help the economy, and a sense of caution would have to be built in. To a question on investments in the economy, she said that companies' and banks' balance sheets have become healthier, and the corporate tax rate was cut to boost investments. Referring to what the minister was hearing from observers and her own interactions with business leaders, Sitharaman asked if businesses were sitting on passive, investible funds. 'That is, investible funds that are being engaged passively rather than investing and expanding capacity. That is an issue that I would obviously want the industry to speak about.' On trade, she said bilateral trade has now taken priority over multilateral trade, though she could not comment on the merits of this trend. The minister added that negotiations for trade deals are well progressing with the US and the EU.
