Summary
The Trump administration has made public a collection of FBI records related to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. These records had been kept secret since 1977 by a court order. King's family expressed concern about how the information in the documents might be used.
Key Facts
- The Trump administration released files on Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, including FBI surveillance records.
- A court order had kept these 230,000 pages of FBI documents hidden since 1977.
- King's family, especially his two living children, opposed the release of these documents.
- King's children emphasized treating the documents with respect, considering the family's ongoing grief.
- Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, when he was 39 years old.
- James Earl Ray, who was convicted for the assassination, initially pleaded guilty but later changed his plea.
- The released documents highlight the FBI's intense monitoring of King, led by J Edgar Hoover.
- President Trump had promised to release these files and signed an order to declassify them, along with files related to other assassinations.
