President Donald Trump has released more than 230,000 pages of documents tied to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., fulfilling another promise to bring long-overdue transparency to some of the most controversial investigations in American history.
The files, many of which were digitized for the first time, had been “collecting dust in facilities across the federal government for decades,” according to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who led the declassification effort. The release follows similar efforts by the Trump administration to unveil records tied to the JFK and RFK assassinations.
“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 in a statement Monday. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are ensuring that no stone is left unturned.”
The newly unveiled files include investigative notes, interactions with foreign intelligence services, and internal reports from the King case. The documents are lightly redacted, mostly for privacy protections, such as Social Security numbers and grand jury proceedings.
Alveda King, the niece of Dr. King, praised the move, saying it honors her uncle’s legacy of truth and transparency. “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.”
President Trump emphasized that the release is part of a broader push to end decades of secrecy around high-profile political killings that have fueled public mistrust in government. “These files belong to the American people. It’s time they see the truth for themselves,” Trump said in a recent statement on Truth Social.
The documents are expected to reignite debates surrounding the circumstances of King’s death. James Earl Ray confessed to killing the civil rights leader in 1968, but questions have persisted for decades about whether he acted alone or was part of a larger plot.
Some members of the King family have privately expressed concern that the release may also shed new light on King’s personal flaws—including accounts of infidelity and controversial moments tied to his inner circle—but have nevertheless supported full transparency.
The release marks another chapter in Trump’s broader campaign to expose what he describes as decades of government misconduct, cover-ups, and abuse of power.