Latest news with #MLK
Al Jazeera
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump dumps a pile of MLK files. Why not the Epstein files?
Nearly six decades after the assassination of United States civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr (MLK) in 1968, the White House has released more than 230,000 pages of once-classified files relating to his murder. After becoming president in January, Donald Trump signed an executive order declassifying documents related to the assassinations of King, former President John F Kennedy and former Senator Robert F Kennedy. The MLK files largely reinforce the longstanding official conclusion that James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin, acted alone with no conclusive evidence of a broader conspiracy. The files released on Monday add to the well-documented record of FBI surveillance and harassment of King, including efforts to discredit and intimidate him in the years leading up to his assassination. So what do the MLK files offer? What was the FBI operation against him? And why has Trump released them now? What are the MLK files? The MLK files are the trove of documents related to both the FBI's surveillance of King throughout the 1950s and 1960s and the investigation into his assassination in 1968. The records were put under a court-imposed seal in 1977 after the FBI compiled them and turned them over to the National Archives and Records Administration. The files include internal memos, wiretap transcripts, informant reports and correspondence from then-FBI Director J Edgar Hoover and senior officials, reflecting how the FBI viewed King as a political threat due to his civil rights activism. Advertisement A major focus is the FBI's covert campaign to discredit and intimidate King, which included bugging his hotel rooms, infiltrating his inner circle and even sending him an anonymous letter urging him to commit suicide in 1964. The FBI also falsely labelled King as a communist sympathiser based on his ties to former Communist Party member Stanley Levison, using this claim to justify illegal surveillance and attempts to destroy his reputation. These operations were part of the FBI's wider COINTELPRO programme, which targeted activists and dissenters across the country. Did the files reveal anything new? The newly released MLK files do not reveal any dramatic new evidence about his assassination or secret plots. The files largely reinforce what was already known: Ray was convicted as the lone shooter, and the FBI engaged in an extensive surveillance campaign. The communications also suggest the FBI considered multiple suspects beyond Ray but dropped those leads. Ray confessed to killing King in 1969 but later recanted and claimed he was framed. Before being arrested, Ray was on the run for nearly two months. He fled to Canada, Portugal and the United Kingdom before being extradited to the US, where he was convicted and sentenced to 99 years in prison. He died in April 1998 from complications related to kidney and liver disease. The documents reaffirm that the FBI, under the direction of Hoover, viewed King as a subversive figure and engaged in extensive surveillance and disinformation campaigns against him. These tactics, which included wiretaps and anonymous threats, have been public knowledge for decades, particularly after the findings of the US Senate's Church Committee in the 1970s. The new files appear to confirm this history while adding more granular details. They provide additional internal records and memos that reinforce previous accounts of the bureau's efforts to discredit King and monitor his activities. Notably, the release does not contain new evidence implicating anyone beyond Ray in King's assassination. But King scholars would like to see the information the FBI was discussing and circulating as part of its investigation, Ryan Jones, director of history, interpretation and curatorial services at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee told The Associated Press news agency. 'That's critical given the fact the American public, at that time, was unaware that the FBI that is involved in the investigation was leading a smear campaign to discredit the same man while he was alive,' Jones was quoted as saying. 'They were the same bureau who was receiving notices of assassination attempts against King and ignored them.' What is the civil rights movement? The civil rights movement was a decades-long struggle, primarily in the US during the 1950s and 1960s, aimed at ending racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans. Advertisement Rooted in centuries of resistance to slavery and racial injustice, the movement gained momentum after World War II as Black Americans demanded equal treatment under the law and full access to political, social and economic rights guaranteed by the US Constitution. Led by figures such as Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, King and countless grassroots activists, the movement employed strategies ranging from peaceful protests and legal challenges to civil disobedience and mass mobilisation. Landmark events like the Montgomery bus boycott in Alabama; the March on Washington, where King delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech; and the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, also in Alabama, pressured lawmakers and reshaped public opinion. These efforts led to major legislative victories, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. What was this FBI operation? The FBI's operation against King was primarily conducted under the Counterintelligence Program, known as COINTELPRO, a covert initiative launched by the FBI under Hoover. Initiated in 1956, COINTELPRO targeted various organisations, but its focus on King and the broader civil rights movement intensified in the early 1960s, particularly as King's prominence grew. The FBI labelled King a national security threat, suspecting communist influence within the civil rights movement although no such ties were ever substantiated. Declassified documents outline a systematic campaign to monitor King's activities, undermine his leadership and tarnish his public image through surveillance and psychological tactics. Wiretaps were placed on King's home and office phones, and hidden microphones were installed in hotel rooms where he stayed. These efforts, authorised by Attorney General Robert F Kennedy in 1963, were often abused to collect salacious details about King's private life, particularly extramarital affairs. In 1964, the FBI sent an anonymous letter to King accompanied by an audiotape it pulled from bugged hotel rooms that allegedly was evidence of his affairs and urged him to commit suicide to avoid public disgrace. The FBI's operation against King, which continued until his assassination in 1968, reflected Hoover's animosity and the agency's broader paranoia about civil rights activism disrupting the status quo. 'He was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign,' a King family statement said. Why did Trump release them now? The Trump administration released the MLK files despite opposition from his family and the political group he once led. In a statement, Attorney General Pamela Bondi said: 'The American people deserve answers decades after the horrific assassination of one of our nation's great leaders.' Trump's order for the files to be released said it was in the 'national interest' to release the records. 'Their families and the American people deserve transparency and truth,' it said. Advertisement Bondi hosted Alveda King, a conservative commentator and MLK's niece, at the Department of Justice to commemorate the release of the files. Alveda said she was grateful to Trump 'for delivering on their pledge of transparency in the release of these documents on the assassination' of King. The King family said in its statement that it had hoped to get an opportunity to review the files as a family before their public release. In a statement released on Monday, King's children called their father's case a 'captivating public curiosity for decades' but emphasised that 'these files must be viewed within their full historical context.' '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,' the statement said. Has Trump released other files? Before releasing the MLK files, Trump declassified thousands of documents related to the assassinations of former President Kennedy (JFK) and his younger brother, Robert F Kennedy, calling it a push for transparency. In March, the National Archives released tens of thousands of pages concerning JFK's 1963 assassination, including previously redacted FBI and CIA records. These documents offered further detail on the intelligence tracking of JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald and US surveillance efforts during the Cold War. After that, from April to June, the Trump administration released more than 70,000 pages related to the 1968 assassination of Senator Kennedy. These records included FBI field reports, informant files and internal memos. While many hailed this latest release, Trump also faced criticism from other leaders who called it a political distraction at a time when pressure has been mounting over the president's handling of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein files. The Epstein files detail the life and connections of the disgraced financier with deep ties to elite political, business and cultural circles. Calls for transparency have intensified after renewed demands from civil society, victims advocates and bipartisan lawmakers who argued that shielding the full extent of Epstein's connections undermines justice and accountability.
The Hill
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
MLK assassination files released: What to know
The Trump administration on Monday released a trove of previously classified documents related to the 1968 assassination of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) in Memphis, Tenn. James Earl Ray, who died in prison in 1998, admitted to the murder after he was captured in London, but conspiracy theories have swirled about the motivation behind the attack and who may have been involved beyond Ray, including the federal government. Why now? Trump signed an executive order in January to release of the documents related to MLK's assassination. While campaigning for a second non-consecutive term last year, the president had promised to release FBI records related to the deaths of high-profile figures in the 1960s, including President John F. Kennedy Jr. (JFK) and former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK). The documents related to the Kennedy brothers have also been released, prompting increased speculation about the high-profile assassinations. The president also signaled he would release the files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the administration said earlier this month that it had no additional information to provide and has sought a court release of grand jury testimony. What are the documents? The previously classified records related to MLK's assassination while he was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis include details about the FBI's probe into the civil rights leader before his death five decades ago. King was in Tennessee to support sanitation workers who were on strike over low pay, and he had delivered his 'I've been to the mountaintop' speech there the night before. Then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover deemed King a radical and targeted him for investigation with the agency's Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO). Records have shown that the FBI had wiretaps on King's phone lines, surveilled his hotel rooms and used informants to build information against him while he led the 1960s Civil Rights effort against discrimination. What do they reveal? More than 230,000 pages of documents related to King's assassination were published in Monday's release. According to the National Archives, more files will be released as information is reviewed. The documents unveiled, so far, focus primarily on the FBI's investigation into King's death, such as agency memos and interviews with people who knew Ray, but they also provide insight into the FBI's investigation into King's anti-poverty and anti-war campaign before his death. Historians who have studied King told The New York Times that the documents provide little new information, though. How does the King family feel about this? His family has long questioned the conventional narrative that Ray, who pleaded guilty to the assassination and died in 1998 a Nashville, Tenn., prison at age 70, acted alone in the shooting death of King. A jury in a 1999 civil trial found that a man, who claimed to have known about a plot to kill King, and unnamed others — including government agencies — had participated in a conspiracy to carry out the killing. However, the Justice Department reopened the case in the 1990s and said it 'found nothing to disturb the 1969 judicial determination that James Earl Ray murdered Dr. King.' King's two living children, Martin Luther King III and Bernice A. King, released a joint statement on Monday saying that they disagreed with the Trump administration's release of the documents on their father without appropriate context. 'We recognize that the release of documents concerning the assassination of our father, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has long been a subject of interest, captivating public curiosity for decades,' the duo 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.' They urged people to view the files 'within their full historical context.' 'During our father's lifetime, he was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),' the Kings continued. 'The intent of the government's COINTELPRO campaign was not only to monitor, but to discredit, dismantle, and destroy Dr. King's reputation and the broader American Civil Rights Movement.' 'These actions were not only invasions of privacy, but intentional assaults on the truth – undermining the dignity and freedoms of private citizens who fought for justice, designed to neutralize those who dared to challenge the status quo,' they added. The King family won a wrongful death lawsuit against Shelby County, Tenn., in 1999. 'The jury unanimously concluded that our father was the victim of a conspiracy … including government agencies as a part of a wider scheme,' the King children said in their statement. 'As we review these newly released files, we will assess whether they offer additional insights beyond the findings our family has already accepted.' The two also noted their support for 'transparency and historical accountability,' but warned against efforts to smear their father's legacy that may come from the release. 'Those who promote the fruit of the FBI's surveillance will unknowingly align themselves with an ongoing campaign to degrade our father and the Civil Rights Movement,' they wrote. 'Let us move forward together, inspired by our father's enduring vision of the Beloved Community – a world made possible when we choose to center love in all that we do.' They added, 'By embracing compassion, mutual respect, and justice, we can transform his dream into our shared reality.'
CNN
22-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Here's what we know so far about the MLK files released by the Trump administration
The long-sealed files related to the FBI's yearslong surveillance of civil rights icon Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were released Monday by the Trump administration. Before that, the more than 240,000 pages had never been 'digitized and sat collecting dust in facilities across the federal government for decades,' the office of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in a statement. In the hours since the trove of documents was made available through the National Archives and Records Administration, experts have said the files do not appear to include any major revelations. Here's what we know so far about the files: The internal FBI memos detail the investigation into King's assassination in 1968 and include the discussion of potential leads as well as documents related to James Earl Ray, King's convicted assassin, according to the Trump administration. The files include scans of black and white documents that were often composed by typewriter as well as a few pages in color. The documents were initially intended to remain under seal until 2027. However, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January that mandated the files be declassified and released. The publication of the MLK files also comes as the Trump administration continues to weather a barrage of criticism over its handling of the release of documents related to the case of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the investigation into his underaged sex trafficking operation. Trump and Epstein were friendly for years before Epstein was charged with solicitation of prostitution in the mid 2000s. The King family has long objected to the release of the documents and urged the public to view the records 'within their full historical context.' 'During our father's lifetime, he was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover through the Federal Bureau of Investigation,' King's children, Bernice King and Martin Luther King III, said in a joint statement posted on social media. The family, which was given advance access to the files, has denied Ray was solely responsible for the death of the civil rights leader. Ray initially pleaded guilty to the murder but later renounced that plea and maintained his innocence until his death in 1998. 'While we support transparency and historical accountability, we object to any attacks on our father's legacy or attempts to weaponize it to spread falsehoods,' the Kings said in their statement. 'Those who promote the fruit of the FBI's surveillance will unknowingly align themselves with an ongoing campaign to degrade our father and the Civil Rights Movement,' they added. But not everyone in the King family opposes the publication of the files. King's niece, Alveda King, an outspoken conservative who frequently diverges publicly from her family, has said she's 'grateful to President Trump' for his 'transparency' after the documents' release. The FBI surveilled King and his associates throughout the Civil Rights Movement. Under the direction of Hoover, the agency sought to undermine King's efforts to secure civil rights for African Americans by dredging up information that could tarnish his personal image and investigating his alleged ties to the Communist Party. 'They treated him as an adversary – somebody who it would help to have dirt on,' historian Jonathan Eig, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, 'King: A Life,' told CNN's Zachary Wolf. In addition to surveillance, King's phone lines were often bugged, as well as the hotel rooms where he would often stay, Eig said. The FBI has previously released a memo that attempts to tie King to various communist influences and alleges financial improprieties at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the civil rights organization he led. The document also graphically describes King's history of adultery. It is unclear what new revelations, if any, will be contained in the new trove of records.
CNN
22-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Here's what we know so far about the MLK files released by the Trump administration
Donald Trump Federal agencies Diversity and equityFacebookTweetLink Follow The long-sealed files related to the FBI's yearslong surveillance of civil rights icon Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were released Monday by the Trump administration. Before that, the more than 240,000 pages had never been 'digitized and sat collecting dust in facilities across the federal government for decades,' the office of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in a statement. In the hours since the trove of documents was made available through the National Archives and Records Administration, experts have said the files do not appear to include any major revelations. Here's what we know so far about the files: The internal FBI memos detail the investigation into King's assassination in 1968 and include the discussion of potential leads as well as documents related to James Earl Ray, King's convicted assassin, according to the Trump administration. The files include scans of black and white documents that were often composed by typewriter as well as a few pages in color. The documents were initially intended to remain under seal until 2027. However, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January that mandated the files be declassified and released. The publication of the MLK files also comes as the Trump administration continues to weather a barrage of criticism over its handling of the release of documents related to the case of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the investigation into his underaged sex trafficking operation. Trump and Epstein were friendly for years before Epstein was charged with solicitation of prostitution in the mid 2000s. The King family has long objected to the release of the documents and urged the public to view the records 'within their full historical context.' 'During our father's lifetime, he was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover through the Federal Bureau of Investigation,' King's children, Bernice King and Martin Luther King III, said in a joint statement posted on social media. The family, which was given advance access to the files, has denied Ray was solely responsible for the death of the civil rights leader. Ray initially pleaded guilty to the murder but later renounced that plea and maintained his innocence until his death in 1998. 'While we support transparency and historical accountability, we object to any attacks on our father's legacy or attempts to weaponize it to spread falsehoods,' the Kings said in their statement. 'Those who promote the fruit of the FBI's surveillance will unknowingly align themselves with an ongoing campaign to degrade our father and the Civil Rights Movement,' they added. But not everyone in the King family opposes the publication of the files. King's niece, Alveda King, an outspoken conservative who frequently diverges publicly from her family, has said she's 'grateful to President Trump' for his 'transparency' after the documents' release. The FBI surveilled King and his associates throughout the Civil Rights Movement. Under the direction of Hoover, the agency sought to undermine King's efforts to secure civil rights for African Americans by dredging up information that could tarnish his personal image and investigating his alleged ties to the Communist Party. 'They treated him as an adversary – somebody who it would help to have dirt on,' historian Jonathan Eig, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, 'King: A Life,' told CNN's Zachary Wolfe. In addition to surveillance, King's phone lines were often bugged, as well as the hotel rooms where he would often stay, Eig said. The FBI has previously released a memo that attempts to tie King to various communist influences and alleges financial improprieties at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the civil rights organization he led. The document also graphically describes King's history of adultery. It is unclear what new revelations, if any, will be contained in the new trove of records.
Washington Post
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Tuesday briefing: Trump's Epstein distractions; MLK Jr. assassination files; Malcolm-Jamal Warner; Stephen Colbert; and more
President Donald Trump is struggling to divert attention from Jeffrey Epstein. The Trump administration released files on Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. An ex-police officer was sentenced in relation to the killing of Breonna Taylor. The U.N. said its facilities were hit by Israeli troops in Gaza. The Trump administration announced changes to the organ transplant system. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who rose to fame on 'The Cosby Show,' has died. Stephen Colbert ridiculed CBS's explanation for canceling 'The Late Show.' And now … don't panic if you miss a connecting flight: Follow these seven steps. Plus: Southwest fan? It's the final boarding call for open seating. Want to catch up quickly with 'The 7' every morning? Download The Post's app and turn on alert notifications for The 7 or sign up for the newsletter.
